


Well That was Unexpected

by adaren1



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: BAMF Women, Edward is not a dick, F/M, Pretty dark themes, Some Humor, can we PLEASE get some redemption for Rosalie, it's a little bit of a crossover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:53:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 28,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29612481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adaren1/pseuds/adaren1
Summary: After escaping from HYRDA and being on the run for two years, it was pretty easy to believe that there was no end in sight. But when an old friend calls and warns about a possible new threat, it seems like going into hiding is the only option. It turns out that in the small town of Forks, there's a coven of vampires who might just change the lives of everyone around them.Set before the first Twilight book/movie and then moves into the series.
Relationships: Carlisle Cullen/Esme Cullen, Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Emmett Cullen/Rosalie Hale, Jasper Hale/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 56
Collections: R's Twilight





	1. Chapter One

VARNA, BULGARIA, 2016

I woke up to my phone ringing. Well, my eyes opened. I had been up for a while now, trying to meditate instead of getting ready for the day. My arm reached out to grab the ringing phone. The screen told me it was an unknown number and I hesitated to answer. The phone rang three more times and then stopped altogether. I waited, unbreathing.

It rang again and I picked it up right away. Ringing five times, hanging up, and then calling right back was our code.

“Hello?”

“ _Snezhinka”_

“ _Zima_ ,” I sighed with relief when I realized it was him and not an enemy but tensed up again when I heard the tone of his voice.

“What’s wrong?” I sat up, ready to get out of my small apartment if needed.

“You need to leave. Get to a safe location and change your identity.”

At that, I got out of bed and started packing. James knew the danger of us contacting each other and wouldn’t call if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.

“Who’s after me?”

I heard him sigh on the other line. “I’m not entirely sure who it is but it’s better to be safe. I was framed for a bombing in Sokovia but I don’t know by who and I’m afraid whoever it was will come after you too.”

“Where are you? I’m coming to you.” I grabbed my journals from atop my fridge and shoved them into my backpack on top of my change of clothes and wallet.

“You can’t. I’m…” he hesitated and I paused in my packing.

“You’re where?”

“I don’t know where I am. Some sort of warehouse I think. But I’m with Steve.”

I stiffened. Steve Rogers? What the hell had my old partner gotten himself into?

“Your old friend? What the hell are you doing, _Zima_?” I was careful not to use his real name in case someone was monitoring our call. Years of doing exactly that for HYDRA has put me on edge and paranoid, but it’s also the reason I’m alive.

Another sigh. “I don’t know. But I know that I want to be here with him. We’re going to find the man who framed me now but we think he’s in Sibera trying to wake the others.”

That made me frantically start to pack again. If the rest of the Winter Soldiers were awake, I would need to use every survival skill in my arsenal to escape them. James and I had been partners since we’d been turned at around the same time (me a little bit before him) and we had led the other soldiers. That, however, came with jealousy from the rest of the assassins and I had never formed a bond with them the way I had with James. He is almost a brother to me and I trust him with my life, a title that I do not give out easily.

“Shit,” I put the phone in between my shoulder and ear as I changed into clothes that were better for being on the run, not willing to put him on speakerphone in case anyone was listening in from outside.

“Call me when you get to safety and I’ll call you once I know more.” He paused, seemingly listening to someone else speak to him. I assumed it was Steve. “Stay safe, _Snezhinka._ ”

“You too. Call you soon.”

After hanging up, I dropped my phone into my backpack and continued changing. I was already wearing black cargo pants in the shape of joggers that were tight enough to where you couldn’t hear the fabric moving when my legs brushed together, but not tight to the point of constricting my movement. My shirt was a black, tight and long-sleeved and I tucked it into my pants that I secured with a belt. I attached my weapons to my body, fitting as many on my actual body as I could before moving to my clothing. My boots were on next, a small gun on my ankle holster and a knife in the other. For my outer layer, I took a brown bomber jacket I found at a stall at the market outside and layered it under a puffier, dark green jacket. It was chilly outside and I wasn’t sure where I would be going after this. Grabbing my backpack, I made sure I had everything I might need for my survival.

Wallet? Check.

Weapons? Triple check.

Change of clothes? Check.

Water bottle? Check.

Phone that I would have to toss as soon as I made it to a train station? Check.

All my different passports and IDs? Quadruple check.

Next up was figuring out how I would get out of here. I could stay in Europe as it was where I was most comfortable operating in, but the soldiers would know that and come for me. I flew down the stairs to my landlord where I paid him for the next three months. They would no doubt come here first.

_“Blagodarya ti,”_ I thanked the man and he responded with a nod and an over-enthusiastic smile. I knew it was just a front he put on to have people rent here but I took solace in the fact that he just saw me as another renter. Hopefully I didn’t make too much of an impression on him.

Now, to find a train station to take me to the airport…

Buying a ticket to the largest airport was easy. I decided to travel to America because it was such an idiotic choice that the soldiers would never think of it. Once I was in my compartment, I began planning out where I was going to go and how to get there. Obviously with all my weapons I couldn’t board a plane normally and I had no intention of showing my face on any cameras. That left smuggling onto a plane. But how? For the rest of the ride, I schemed up the best ways to get on the plane to my freedom.

The train lurched to a stop and I smiled, ready to put my plan into action.

* * *

_Zima **Winter**_

_Snezhinka **Snowflake**_

_Blagodarya ti **Thank you (Bulgarian**_ **_)_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a high-action first chapter! I promise we will get to Forks soon, don’t you worry. All of my translations into Russian and any other language is through Google Translate so I apologize in advance if you speak any of these languages and the grammar is a bit off. I include the translations of what I want it to say at the end but, again, Google Translate is only so reliable. Thank you for reading! Stay safe out there kings and queens. Mwah!


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a short one, but it’s necessary. Yay Forks!

WASHINGTON, 2016

On the plane, I took a second to breath. Once I hit the ground in America I would need to find a place to change and steal a car and drive to my newest destination: somewhere in Washington. I had chosen Washington when the train had jerked a little too suddenly and my coffee spilled all over the map I was looking at. One of the trails of my hot drink seemed to reach over and point to Washington, helping me make up my mind. It was a dumb way to choose where to go, I know, but if I used any traditional methods to choose where I stayed, the soldiers would use that against me and find me.

So here I sat, dressed in my stolen flight attendant outfit, trying my best to converse with the other flight attendant and appear normal. I had slipped through security by taking out and stealing the outfit of a cop, before doing the same to a flight attendant. The whole time, I made sure to keep my head down and away from cameras, but not too down so as to look suspicious. There was an art to staying off the grid but I had mastered it years ago.

My plan, once I reached America, was to go through immigration as one of my many aliases and change out of the flight attendant outfit before that so as not to arouse suspicion. I didn’t have a wig with me or anything, so I would have to stick with one of my brunette passports. An old contact of mine was ready to have a safehouse set up for me as soon as I let her know of my location. She claimed it would only take her a matter of hours but I decided to withhold judgement until I was standing in the doorway.

Soon enough, much sooner than I expected for a flight from Europe to Washington (but then again, I hadn’t flown a regular airplane in probably 70+ years so things had probably sped up since then), we landed and I had to wait and greet everyone as they exited the plane. Once everyone was gone, I bid goodbye to my co-attendant and made a beeline for the nearest bathroom. Once I was in the stall, I changed back into my previous attire and strapped most of my weapons back on my body, tossing the uniform into my backpack to burn later and exiting the bathroom, passport in hand.

The line to enter the country wasn’t too bad and I reached the front relatively quickly.

“So what brings you here…” the old man asked, looking between me and my ID picture, “Ms. Corazon?”

“Family,” I smiled largely at him, allowing my eyes to sparkle a bit more than usual. “My big brother’s getting married this weekend and I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

The old man smiled back and went off on a small tangent about how he remembered his son getting married and I smiled and chuckled at all the right times. Once my passport and ID were safely back in my hands and I was waved through, I ducked my head slightly to avoid cameras.

Instead of stealing a car like I had originally planned, my new plan was to buy a motorcycle. I was more comfortable on one and it was more mobile and less traceable than a car. It turned out that there was a small motorcycle shop a couple miles away and rather than call a cab, I began to walk.

It was a pretty long walk, but it allowed me to think and observe my new home. Temporary home, that is. Odds were that I would hear from James later tonight if nothing went horribly wrong. If he didn’t call by six, I would call him. If there was no answer, I would start to panic.

I arrived at the small motorcycle shop and immediately saw the one I wanted. It was sleek and black and looked fast. In short, it looked like it could keep up with me. I paid in all cash; I started saving up about seven years ago when I started to think about leaving HYDRA. They brainwashed me the same as James and if they said those words…

I shuddered just thinking about it. If they said the words I would be back in Winter Soldier mode, but I had started fighting back about seven years ago. Not outwardly, but I began to build shelters in my mind that I kept under lock and key. Shelters that would allow me to be myself when I wasn’t under HYDRA’s control. Inside the shelters, I kept all my memories that would be returned to me during lapses of wipes and cryofreezes. I tried to teach James, but he was wiped more often than I was, leading to his brain becoming more scattered and fucked up. I suggested journaling to him one time but I had no idea if he had taken me up on it. I journaled as much as I could and used what I wrote down to help me build and strengthen my shelters.

I was broken out of my reverie by the owner of the motorcycle handing me my change and the keys to the bike. Not wanting to prolong his exposure to me, I smiled at him quickly, put on the helmet, and drove off. I wasn’t sure where I was going but my current plan was to drive as far as I could get on one tank of gas and see where that got me. For now though, I could enjoy the feeling of the wind against my body and the beautiful scenery that surrounded me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayyyy small bit of backstory! Again, sorry about the length. I try to keep my chapters relatively similar in length but some are shorter/longer than others because they need to be. Thank you for reading and stay safe! Mwah!


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's meet some characters!

FORKS, WASHINGTON, 2016

It turned out that one tank of gas could get me pretty far. I noticed I was getting low as I passed a sign that told me a small town was 2 miles away. I didn’t catch the name, but I figured a small town wouldn’t be too easy for my hunters to find. I took the exit and a few minutes later I passed the town’s sign.

_Welcome to Forks! Population: 3,545_

How cute.

I slowed my speed as I made her way further into the center of the town, taking note that it was right on the Pacific Ocean and would be relatively easy to escape from and follow the coast down to California or something where I could more easily disappear. As long as I have like a jet ski or something, that is. My main dilemma now was figuring out how to spend the next couple of hours while my friend got my house ready for me. Speaking of, I sent an encoded message to her that contained my location.

_Three hours._ She texted back.

I smiled and drove by a small diner and my stomach grumbled. Food it is then.

Making the nearest U-turn, I parked my motorcycle next to a window at the cozy-looking diner so I could see it as I ate. Hoping I wouldn’t make too much of a splash as a newcomer in this already very clearly tight-knit town, I took off my helmet and made my way inside, backpack still tightly strapped to my back.

It was a dumb hope. As soon as I walked in, the people inside turned to greet who was sure to be a friend of theirs, only to find a stranger in all black standing there. I grimaced and walked to a table in the corner, sitting down and examining the people who were staring at me. A woman came over to ask me what I wanted to drink and dropped off a menu.

“Just water is fine, thank you” The woman nodded in response and left to give me some time to think over my order. I did not, however, think about my order, but rather what my cover story was going to be. I was given the serum that made me into who I am today when I was only seventeen and it affected me differently than it did James. While James still aged, if not very, very slowly, I did not. I had a theory that it was because I was the first to have the serum injected into me because, even after over seventy years of working with HYDRA, I had not gained a single wrinkle. This meant I would probably have to enroll in a high school, since it seemed like there wasn’t a college in this town. Oh well. At least I would get to graduate from high school!

The thought threw me back to when I was a junior in high school for the first time in 1938. I had been walking home from school when I realized someone was following me. I sped up my walking and even began to run, but it was no use.

I was a stupid girl back then.

The man grabbed me and took me back to his hideout of sorts to have as his toy. He would torture me, physically and psychologically, but he never went as far as to rape me. From this, I had gathered he was impotent.

It went on for two years, the everyday pain. Two years until I was “rescued” by someone coming to bring more damage to my life, although I didn’t find out his name until much, much later. Johann Shmidt took me from the man who tortured me for two years. He also stole what I would come to know as the Tesseract from the elderly man who lived with my captor. It seemed like I owed my life to this man and for that, I gave him my service. It wasn’t until James came along and I saw the pain he was put through that I realized what I was doing was wrong.

And then, for my in-subordinance, came the brainwashing, wiping, and cryofreezing.

“Have you decided what you want to eat dear?”

The waitress broke me out of my turbulent thoughts and I cleared my throat, forcing myself to get it together. I put on the most teenage expression I could and smiled up at the woman. I hoped she couldn’t see the tears that threatened to fall from my eyes.

“I’ll have the garden burger, please.”

Once she was gone, I tightened my fists under the table, squeezing hard enough to leave red, bloody marks on my palms. I needed to get it together. Checking my new phone that I had picked up at the airport, I saw no new texts from my contact and that it had barely been half an hour. I tried not to groan out loud.

My food arrived and I ate it quickly. I still wasn’t used to not having time constraints on eating food and not having to eat as fast as I could so no one could take it from me. I was about to pay and leave to canvas the rest of the town when two men walked up to my table. I stiffened and let my hand drop down to my jacket pocket where a small gun sat, keeping my face controlled and innocent.

The man on the left had dark hair and a matching dark moustache and seemed to have kind eyes. He reminded me of a typical dad, but I did not take my hand off my gun. The man standing next to him had blonde hair with sharp features that were exceptionally beautiful. He had kind eyes as well that were a stunning golden color. I gave him an appreciate once over, still not taking my hand out of my pocket. Most pretty people were dangerous because they used their looks to their advantage. I know I did when I was still running ops for HYDRA.

“Hello ma’am,” the dark-haired man began in a friendly tone. I was still looking at the blonde man, wondering if he would think I was too young for a hook up.

“I’m Chief Swan. Are you new here?”

I then dragged my gaze away from the handsome man who was now smiling softly to look at this Chief Swan.

Obviously, I’m new here.

“Yes, I just arrived here today.” I wasn’t sure how much to divulge to a police officer and his good-looking friend who I had to remind myself was probably in his late 20s and would not be into me, even though I was much older than him in reality.

Blondie frowned. “Are your parents around?” he asked in a gentle voice with a hint of concern.

Shit. I didn’t think I would have people asking about my life and hadn’t planned this far ahead.

Dropping my head a bit to make myself seem smaller and more fragile, I spoke again.

“No, it’s just me.”

I knew the men were exchanging looks, probably thinking ‘ _Who the hell is this teenage girl all by herself?’_

If only you knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She playin the hell outta them! I tried my very, very best to have all the dates line up correctly with the HYDRA stuff so forgive me if I’m a little off! Also, I wanted to steer clear from writing about the topic of rape because it is not something that I have experienced and therefore do not feel comfortable creating this big story about. I don’t want to romanticize it or normalize it and I don’t want to talk about something that I don’t know much about and risk offending anyone or coming off as ignorant. Also, KAM. Thank you for reading! Mwah!


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeahhh daddy Carlisle! We missed you king.

After my faked display of emotion that had the men eating out of my hand, they asked if they could sit down. I told them that they could and raised my head a bit, my hand still in my pocket.

They asked me some more questions that I deflected as best I could and gave vague answers when they pushed. The blonde man had introduced himself as Dr. Cullen and asked how old I was.

“Sixteen,” I decided, leaning back in my chair a fraction as the men shared another look.

“That’s the same age as my daughter,” Chief Swan told me with a smile. I smiled back as if that made me feel better.

“Is she here?” I asked in an attempt to derail the conversation.

He frowned and his moustache twitched. “No, she’s with her mom right now.”

Oops.

I nodded to try to keep the conversation aloof. They asked me where I was staying and I gave them some story about the house belonging to my grandparents before they sold it and passed away. They gave me smiles that led me to believe that they believed my stories and Chief Swan went on a small rant about how I could call him no matter the time of day if I needed something.

In the back of my head, I recognized this was probably not a good idea to stay here. This man clearly missed his daughter and I probably reminded him of her. He had dark hair like I did, which meant his daughter probably did too. That, added to my supposed age, made for a man who was looking to make a new relationship that I was not willing to reciprocate. Dr. Cullen seemed to get some sort of hint that I was getting a bit uncomfortable with all the attention and began bringing the conversation to a close.

“Well, let us know if you need anything…” he trailed off waiting for my name.

I hesitated, my brain going through all my different identities to pick a name I hadn’t used before.

“Adaline,” I said carefully, hoping to god that they wouldn’t find a past life of mine out there when the chief undoubtedly did a background check on me later. I would have to do some work when I got to my house, it seemed.

Speaking of that, my phone buzzed and I took advantage of the men’s acknowledgement of my name to check it.

_Done early. Coordinates sent to GPS._

_Fully stocked?_ I asked hopefully.

_Who are you talking to?_

I chuckled under my breath and stood up, placing a few bills on the table as a tip. Just then, a thought came to me.

“Chief Swan?” I asked, making my eyes a little larger than was probably necessary. “Do you think you could contact the high school and enroll me? I tried before I came and it seems I need a parental guardian to do it.”

He blinked and opened his mouth.

“I figured you might be able to pull some strings given my… situation,” I glanced away from him at the end to drive the point home.

“Of course,” he told me, resting a hand on my shoulder. I tried my very hardest not to stiffen but I felt my muscles tighten involuntarily before I forced them to relax to seem normal.

“Let us know if you need anything,” Dr. Cullen’s fine ass told me before taking his leave.

“You should be good to show up at the school tomorrow and they’ll get you everything you might need. I’ll make some calls tonight.”

I widened my eyes again and smiled charmingly at him. “Thank you Chief Swan. I really appreciate it.”

He nodded and then left, got in his squad car, and drove away.

I forced myself to hold the smile on my face because I knew everyone had been watching the interaction. I picked up my helmet with my free hand and finally took my hand out of my jacket pocket to adjust my backpack where it had been strapped to me the entire meal and subsequent conversation. Time to see how good of a job my friend did on my new home.

* * *

It turned out she had done a great job. It was a one-story house with a kitchen, bedroom, living room, two bathrooms, and two other rooms. One of said other rooms was stocked with computers and other technology I might need to make myself invisible and the other seemed to be a training/workout room. The training room had a punching bag along with a digital training setup that I could use to train with different weapons. I couldn’t wait to try it out.

For now though, I needed to make a new identity. I set my backpack on my new bed and went to my technology room.

The first thing I did was make and print out an actual ID, making sure to put my motorcycle license on it.

ADALINE SMITH

BORN MAY 3, 2000 IN CASTINE, MAINE

Nice. I just had to memorize this now and I would be good to go on that front. I uploaded the actual identity to the database so that Chief Swan could find it when he researched me later and made up a fake story about my parents dying in a fire a couple months ago. I uploaded that to a news site in a small town in Maine, where I had said I was born.

Once everything matched with my new identity, I began my research into Chief Swan and Dr. Cullen.

Chief Swan was first. I found out that he was an only child to parents Geoffrey and Helen Swan. I myself had always wondered why anyone would spell that name like ‘Geoffrey’. It would obviously lead to bullying.

He didn’t go to college to stay and care for his mom, who had Alzheimer’s, and his dad who had severe arthritis that limited his mobility. I admired his selflessness but worried his kind nature would lead to him wanting to form a friendship with me.

He met his wife, Renee, and they had a child together before they divorced six months later, Renee taking the child, Isabella Swan, with her to Arizona. Isabella and Renee have been there ever since and I noted that Renee had remarried to a man named Paul.

I went deeper into my research to find his friends and everything about his life that I could, just to be safe. He was a figure of power in this community and I needed him to be on my side in case I might need it. I was about halfway through deep searching his life and connections when my phone rang.

I held my breath as it rang.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Silence.

I felt myself smile with relief and I picked up the phone as soon as it rang again.

“ _Zima?”_

“ _Snezhinka.”_

I let out a long breath, turning away from my computers to look out a window.

“Are you okay?”

“Just fine,” he answered with a tone that suggested he wasn’t telling me everything. I tried not to push- if he wanted me to know or thought I needed to, he would tell me.

“Zemo is dead. So are the rest of the Winter Soldiers.”

At that, my jaw dropped open. Dead?

“What the fuck? You killed them?”

I heard a slightly remorseful chuckle. “No, I didn’t kill them. Zemo’s plan was never to wake them up. He shot them in the head and…”

He trailed off and I waited patiently for him to tell me what was on his mind.

“He showed the tape of me killing the Starks. I was there with Steve and Tony, their son.”

My hand flew to my mouth before I could stop it. The guilt that I knew James was feeling right now must be overwhelming. I hadn’t been with him on that particular mission, but I was there for the aftermath: the creation of the other soldiers.

“That wasn’t you. You were the _Soldat_ at that point. It is not your fault.” I knew he wouldn’t take my words to heart but I said them anyway. He needed to hear them.

“Listen, I don’t want you to come out of hiding just yet. There’s something still going on, I just don’t know exactly what it is. Steve is taking me to this place where he thinks they can help me…”

More silence for a bit.

“I might go under again, snowflake,” he told me, using the English form of the nickname he had for me.

I let that stew around in my brain for a bit. James would be going back under cryofreeze, probably because he thought he would be able to keep everyone else safe.

“Okay,” I told him hesitantly, “as long as it’s your decision.”

“It is.”

“Okay then. I respect your decision.”

“Thank you.” I could feel the gratitude in his voice and it warmed my heart to hear how much he wanted me to agree to this.

“I’m going to give you Steve’s number before I go under, just in case you ever need anything. I told him about you and he knows the code.”

“Okay James.” A part of me wished I was with him to be there when he went under, but the other part of me that was traumatized by HYDRA knew that being that close to a cryofreeze machine would set me off.

_“Uvidimsya na drugoy storone, moy drug.”_

_“Uvidimsya na drugoy storone._ ” I could hear the smile in his voice and it made me feel slightly better to know that this was something he really wanted for himself. I hung up and turned to focus back on my computer. I put Chief Swan to the side for the moment and began to look up the handsome Dr. Cullen, trying to put James out of my mind and the fact that I was now very much on my own in this country and would not have him to back me up if I needed it.

For now, I would settle for finding out who Dr. Carlisle Cullen was.

* * *

_Uvidimsya na drugoy storone, moy drug **See you on the other side, my friend**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bye bye Bucky :( we’ll miss your fine ass terribly. Next up, digging up the dirt on daddy Carlisle! Also, I feel like I should say that this is not by any means a Charlie-bashing story. I just feel like if a dark-haired teenager showed up all alone, his dad instincts would kick in and be like “ah yes, Bella 2.0! Let me help!” etc.  
> As always, thank you for reading! Stay safe my lovelies! Mwah!


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First day introductions! Well, kind of introductions. You’ll see.

It turned out that Dr. Cullen had a bit of a secret. He was the head of a vegetarian vampire coven that was, apparently, living here in Forks. I supposed it was a good place to stay, what with the often-cloudy weather. I had never encountered a vampire before and while I was originally cautious about them being a danger to me and my lifestyle, I decided that I was not one to judge and would get to know them first. I mean, there were probably rules against me knowing about vampires but as long as we agreed to keep each other’s secrets, it would be nice to have someone not normal to relate to.

Although, now that I think about it, my sudden urge to become friend with this coven is probably due to the equally-as-sudden loss of my only real family. Maybe I would approach the situation with a little bit more caution, but I would not allow myself to be biased against them for who they were. I sure as hell couldn’t talk when it came to clean backgrounds and upbringings.

It was then that I noticed the time: 11 pm. My deep diving had taken longer than I thought because of how well the Cullen’s secret was hidden. Groaning, I remembered I had school tomorrow. Oh, how awful it was to pretend to fit in. A small part of me was excited that I would get to graduate high school, however hard I tried to ignore it.

I came at a weird time so I would have about four months of sophomore year left before summer break. If everything went well, I would be able to come back next year too.

With that thought in my head and a slight feeling of hope in my heart, I began to get ready for bed. I showered and got dressed in an oversized t-shirt and spandex that I had taken with me in my backpack from my old apartment. I would check out what I clothes I was supplied with tomorrow and if needed I could go shopping after that. After doing one last check to make sure all my doors and windows were locked and all my security forces were up, I face planted into my very comfortable bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

My body woke me up at 5 am, ready and roaring to go. I changed into some shorts and a sports bra and went to go for a nice run through the forest. I didn’t want to run through town because for one, the scars that littered my body would be hard to explain and two, I wasn’t fully ready for everyone in this town to meet me.

My run was exhilarating and I found myself pushing my body harder, flying over fallen tree branches and sprinting through the thick trees. I came to a stop at the edge of a cliff that looked over the ocean and I took a moment to acknowledge my surroundings. This place was so beautiful and had an air of mystery that I assumed was related to the Cullen coven. With one last glance over the water and a deep breath full of the crisp, fresh air, I made my way back home.

After a shower and a good breakfast, I moved towards my closet, praying my friend had set me up with cute clothes. I may be an inwardly tortured super assassin, but damn if I didn’t love my fashion.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a plethora of cute clothes waiting for me. It wasn’t too chilly out today, just overcast with a slight breeze, so I went with some loose ripped jeans and a sweater over a turtleneck. I ran a brush through my hair and braided it into two long French braids. I realized that I didn’t have a backpack other than the one I kept all my survival stuff in and grudgingly switched everything that was in there to just a regular tote bag that I shoved into my drawers. I decided to keep my weapons light today and just stick with knives. I didn’t own any jewelry because it got in the way during missions, but I did have my knives. I stuck one into the inner pocket of my backpack and one into the secret compartment of my sports bra. That one was, of course, sheathed.

I pulled on some white tennis shoes that I felt comfortable running and fighting in if needed and grabbed my phone, house keys, riding jacket, and motorcycle helmet before leaving my house. I locked up behind myself, pressing my thumbprint into the doorknob to lock down the house. Feeling satisfied that I had covered all my bases, I put on my helmet and black riding jacket and took off.

* * *

I arrived at the school a little earlier than everyone else did, apparently, because there weren’t a whole lot of cars in the parking lot yet. I wanted to make sure Chief Swan (or Charlie, as I had started calling him in my head) had gotten everything figured out for me to attend high school.

I parked the bike, hyperaware of the stairs of the few students who were there already, and took off my helmet. I set it on the handlebars and neglected to take off my jacket at this time. I tried my best to ignore the stares and instead entered what I assumed was the main building, putting on my “nervous new kid” expression as I opened the door. There were a few kids hanging around and helping the front desk lady but other than that it was empty.

“Hello dear, how can I help you today?” said front desk lady asked me.

“Hi, my name is Adaline Smith? I think Chief Swan made some calls yesterday for me…”

The woman blinked in surprise and then broke out into a smile that actually made me feel a bit better.

“Of course. Here is your schedule! Make sure to give this slip to your new teachers and return it to me at the end of the day. Other than that, you should be good to go!”

“Thank you,” I offered her a genuine smile. I probably reminded her of her daughter or something and her friendly and efficient attitude set my slightly anxious nerves at ease.

She nodded with a smile before leaving to pick up a ringing phone towards the back of the office. I took a couple steps back, took a breath, and then turned around and left the office.

I hadn’t heard a bell ring and there were a lot more students in the parking lot so I assumed school hadn’t started yet. I made my way down the stairs and over to my bike which now had a very nice and sleek car next to it. I looked at the car with raised eyebrows and then looked up further to find the golden eyes of five people staring at me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wouldn’t it be so funny if I just left the story like this… ha! No, probably not. In any case, we’re about to meet some gorgeous vampires folks! Thank you for reading loves, mwah!


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh broody, kind of weird Edward. Let’s meet him!

So they must be the Cullens. They all had the same golden eyes as their Dr. Cullen and they all were standing a little too still, giving away that they weren’t really breathing. Of course, if any normal person would look at them they wouldn’t notice, but my enhanced eyesight coupled with the fact that I was looking for flaws made sure I spotted it.

The staring contest continued and I looked over each and every one of them. To the very left was a boy with messy copper hair and a small slouch in his posture. Out of all of them, he looked the most like a teenager and I would bet that he had been the youngest when he was turned. Probably no older than 17.

Next to him was a gorgeous couple that consisted of a small dark-haired girl and a _very_ good-looking blonde boy. Although his curls were more of a honey-blonde than anything else and I very much wanted to run my fingers through them. My heart suddenly began to ache, as if there was a string attached to it that was pulling me closer and I fought the urge to rub my chest in an attempt to alleviate the feeling. The boy stood very stiffly with the posture of a soldier and someone who had seen some shit. I immediately wanted to get to know him better. The small girl on his arm seemed frozen and her eyes had kind of glazed over, interesting me more. I hadn’t been able to find anything on the vampires who were actually a part of Dr. Cullen’s coven except a picture of them. I didn’t even know their names.

Moving on to the couple all the way on the right, there was a large, seriously built, dark-haired guy who had a protective arm around his absolutely gorgeous blonde girlfriend. When I say built, I mean built. Here I thought James was muscular. The modelesque blonde leaned in to whisper something to her boyfriend and that shook me out of my examination. They were all still staring at me and the only thing that stopped them was the ringing of the bell, signaling class was about to begin.

I ignored the voice in my head that told me not to turn my back to them and picked up my helmet from where it had been resting on the handlebars. When I turned back around, they were already entering the school. With a sigh, I followed. While I was excited to actually have a high school experience, I also knew that I was in no way the person I used to be and some of the things I would have enjoyed in the past no longer interested me.

I decided that I would try to think positively. While I wasn’t necessarily opposed to making new friends, if they weren’t the Cullens then I would have to keep myself at a distance.

Speaking of the Cullens, I seemed to have the youngest one in my first period. Handing my slip to the teacher to sign, I made my way to go sit next to him. What would my strategy be here? I didn’t want them to know who or what I was straight away, but I did want to get to know them. The pretty blonde boy and his fairy-like companion intrigued me and part of me just wanted to see Dr. Cullen’s handsome face again.

Pushing my feelings for the beautiful family aside, I took a seat next to Cullen #1 who was looking confused and a little bit frustrated.

“Hello,” I began, placing a calm smile on my face to try and put him at ease.

It was a minute or so before he responded.

“Hello. You’re the new girl.”

Clearly.

“That’s me,” I stuck out my hand and wondered if he would take it. “Adaline Smith.” The addition of my last name wasn’t necessary for a normal introduction, but I wanted to give it to him in case he decided to research me later. That way, he would find what I wanted him to find and not any of my other aliases. Adding ‘Smith’ would insure him stopping when he found this identity and not keep digging. Or at least I hoped.

Surprisingly, he took my hand and shook it. Just like I had read, his hands were ice cold. They weren’t entirely unpleasant though, and I found myself enjoying the sensation. James’s metal arm was always cold and I had gotten used to the feeling of it. That being said, I still had issues with snow. It made me feel trapped, like I was back in Siberia.

“Edward Cullen. It’s nice to meet you.” The boy had a small smile on his face that suggested he was thinking about something else and not paying attention to our meeting. I wondered what it could be and found myself asking him before I could stop the words.

“Why are you smiling?’’

The smile faltered momentarily and I felt a bit bad for causing it.

“It seems like you’ve incited a bit of a jealous rage in the student body,” he told me with a glance around the room. I followed his gaze to see people whispering or looking back down at their desks or anywhere else other than us.

“Nosy student body then?” I asked him. The paranoid part of me worried that their jealousy would inspire them to look me up.

He chuckled and for some reason I got the feeling he didn’t do that often. “Only because you’re new.”

The rest of class passed with easy conversation flowing between Edward and me. I could tell we were going to be friends and it made me hopeful for meeting the rest of the family. Especially the pretty blonde boy with cheekbones of a god…

The bell rang suddenly and I grabbed my books, checking my schedule to see where I was going next.

“Can I walk you to your next class?” Edward asked me in a polite voice, causing me to raise an eyebrow.

“Are you _trying_ to start a riot of teenagers?”

He smiled and shook his head, holding his arm out in front of him in a motion to take the lead.

“Just trying to be a gentleman.”

I contemplated any possible ulterior motives and ultimately decided to move past it. He was a vampire after all, so he was probably just executing what he saw as normalcy. Plus, I had no idea where I was going. With a small sigh, I took his arm and showed him my schedule. One Cullen down, four to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay sooo I’ve read a lot of stories where Edward is an absolute dickhead and I just couldn’t bring myself to do that here. I feel like Edward has a really dry sense of humor that we didn’t really get to see because of all the constant drama with Bella and stuff. I wanted to explore that side of him, which we will see change in the future because Bella is in fact his singer and that’s bound to fuck anyone up. But for now, let us enjoy some non-Edward bashing content. I’m sure that when he starts getting all possessive and controlling, our dear girl will be on his ass but for now, let the friendship commence!   
> Thank you for reading kings and queens! Mwah!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooh we got lots of Cullens in this chapter!

I reached my next classroom and thanked my new friend. Edward gave me a nod and left to go off to his own class. There were no Cullens in this period and I was sat next to a girl with dark hair and purple glasses that matched her coat.

“Hi! My name’s Angela,” the girl greeted and I was thankful she didn’t ask if I was new.

“Adaline,” I told her, leaving the last name off. There was no way Angela had the possible skills to hack deep enough into the dark web to uncover more of me than I wanted her to see. Not that Edward would have that skill either, but I had to be more cautious around the Cullens, just in case.

Angela gave me the rundown on what we had been doing in class for the part of the year that I missed and even invited me to sit with her at lunch. I accepted the invitation, excited to have made a new, normal friend, even if I would have to keep her at arm’s length. She seemed like a nice girl and we made light conversation between assignments.

The next two classes were unexciting and I met a couple other students who were not as nice to me as Angela and Edward had been. They mostly sort of stared at me and asked me questions about my past, to which I shot them a weird look and gave vague answers. Was everyone at this school nosy?

When it was lunchtime, I quickly exited my class where I had been seated next to a boy who very clearly had not showered or put on deodorant after gym class. Teenagers were gross.

It was then that I realized I didn’t know how to get to the cafeteria. You would think that an assassin who had to figure things out on the fly at any given time would be able to figure out where things were situated in a high school, but I was quite lost. There were like five different buildings that were all connected by outdoor sidewalks and everything looked the same from the outside. I sighed, deciding that I would just start with the biggest looking one. It could either be the gym or the cafeteria and either way, I would have my answer. I took a step forward but stopped when I heard someone call my name.

“Adaline!”

I swiveled around, proud of myself for even recognizing that they were calling me since I’d only had this name for a day or so.

The person calling me was the small dark-haired Cullen with Edward in tow. When she reached me, she held a hand out.

“My name is Alice. It’s nice to meet you!”

I shook it with a smile, excited to be meeting her. She had been the one who’s eyes had glazed over this morning and I was very much looking forward to learning more about her.

“Nice to meet you. And good to see you again,” I said turning my gaze to Edward, who smiled down at me.

“Are you going to be sitting with us at lunch?” Alice asked hopefully. I blinked. They were letting me into their small circle already? Surprising.

“Oh, Angela invited me to sit with her today,” I told her with an apologetic smile, “sorry.”

“No worries! You can sit with us tomorrow!” She bounced up and down a bit as she spoke and it made me smile. It was amazing that over her long life, she was still so full of joy. It gave me a bit of inspiration, to be honest.

“We’ll walk you to lunch,” Edward interrupted my thoughts. I nodded gratefully at the gorgeous pair and stepped into the middle of them as we walked towards the large building I had not picked previously. Damn.

The cafeteria was busy with chatter and kids being kids, but it stopped momentarily when we entered. Then it grew a little bit louder as everyone began talking about our entrance.

“I have to stop walking places with you people. I’ve been here one day and everyone’s already got their mind made up about me.” I laughed to show my new friends that I was joking and was shocked to find that I didn’t even have to force it.

“It’ll wear off at some point,” Edward told me. I highly doubted it. I nodded and bid them goodbye, focusing on their conversation as I walked away.

“You were right, I can’t really smell her… it’s fascinating!” I heard Alice say. Weird. What couldn’t she smell? My blood?

“It’s kind of relieving to say the least. It’s easy to be around her,” Edward responded. Definitely my blood then. I wonder why that would be?

“That’s great news for Jasper though. Not having to deal with all our bloodlust about her and for…” at that point he got too far away, even for my enhanced hearing, and I could no longer pick out what they were saying. I wondered which one Jasper was and what he had to do with anything. Instead of worrying over it, I made my way over to Angela’s table.

She greeted me with a smile and I felt myself involuntarily smiling back. She introduced me to her friends: Jessica, Eric, Mike, Tyler, Hannah, and Lauren. I smiled at all of them and set my stuff down to go get my food. Once I was back, the table had fallen into regular conversation and I let myself enjoy listening to their quite pointless dilemmas as I ate my lunch. It was relaxing, in a way.

* * *

After lunch, I had two more periods until the school day was over. Fifth was not remarkable and I found myself drifting into my own head. The bell rang and I walked to my last class of the day, slightly ready to get home and take a small nap.

I woke right back up, however, when I saw who was in my class. Alice was grinning and waving at me with a smile on her face that lit up the room. I got my slip signed by the teacher and then made my way to sit next to her.

“Hey Adaline, how are you?”

I smiled at her. She seemed to be the kind of girl who always made sure everyone around her was doing alright. I could see us being best friends and I was eternally glad that she was a vampire and I wouldn’t have to hide from her.

“I’m doing alright, just ready to get home and take a nap.”

When she laughed at my joke that wasn’t even funny, the only thing I could compare it to was like some sort of noise a fairy would make. It was tinkling, if that made sense, and filled me with a sense of happiness that I was able to make her elicit such a noise.

“We should go shopping later this week! Get you a whole new wardrobe for Forks weather!” She took my hand and although I was surprised by the coldness at first, I didn’t let it show on my face and instead wrapped my fingers around her hand. Yes, we would definitely be best friends.

The rest of the class passed relatively quickly, now that I had Alice to talk to. We talked vaguely about my “past” and I asked her a little bit more about her siblings. I learned that the blonde supermodel was Rosalie and she was dating Emmet, the one who was bigger than James. The pretty blonde boy was Jasper and Alice had a twinkle in her eye when she told me about him.

“Are you two dating?” I asked, making sure to show nothing but innocent questioning on my face.

She laughed her tinkling laugh. “No, nothing like that! We’re just best friends. He’s very kind, although he seems a bit standoffish to those who don’t know him. He’s truly the perfect southern gentleman!” she winked at me and I glanced away. I had to admit that I felt a pull to Jasper in a way that I didn’t with the rest of the family and it intrigued me. But what if he didn’t like me? Didn’t like the kind of person I was? I had killed people after all, for no other reason than because I was told to.

I didn’t like the way my mind was headed and I tried to change the subject with Alice. Working on my positivity and lessening my self-loathing was something I had been working really hard on for the past few years that I had been free of HYDRA’s clutches. Alice must have noticed me getting uncomfortable and did in fact change the subject. We talked for the rest of class and she gave me her phone number to text her later.

The bell rang and she took my arm in hers as we went to our lockers. Mine was on the opposite side of the hall as hers so she waited for me, talking the entire time about her Halloween party she was planning to have in a couple weeks.

“Other students are invited?” I couldn’t help but ask. It seemed like they kept to themselves for a reason and I was sure that that many humans in their presence would be a bad idea.

“Well I haven’t worked out all the details yet. I might plant the idea in someone else’s head for them to have it and then we would just make an appearance. That is, if everyone agrees…” she trailed off and I shut my locker door, helmet under my arm. We then walked over to her locker which was next to the rest of her family. I smiled at Edward who was shutting his locker as Alice opened hers.

“Hello Adaline.”

I was about to respond when I noticed that ache from earlier come back. Looking up, I found myself locking eyes with Jasper. He had stopped in the middle of the hallway and was looking at me with an expression I couldn’t place; something unnerving for me. He was so good-looking and I unconsciously took a step towards him. Those eyes that were a beautiful liquid gold this morning were now dark and all-encompassing. Everything about him screamed dangerous and it was intoxicating. I knew what I was capable of and how adept I was at doing what I was trained to do, but this man was something else altogether. I wanted more of it.

Edward cleared his throat with a sort of sick look on his face. Alice giggled and shut her own locker, having gotten all her things in the time that Jasper and I had been staring at each other. I snapped out of it and physically shook my head. What the hell had gotten into me? I had never felt that way about anyone before. Everything about Jasper drew me in and I wanted him to do whatever he wanted to me. It was something about how I knew he would be able to take me and that I wouldn’t have to be strong all the time in front of him. I was down bad.

It was then that Edward full on coughed and Jasper seemed to recognize that he was just standing in the middle of the hallway. He stepped forward to complete the small circle Edward, Alice and I had made with our bodies. After another moment of intense eye contact, he raised his hand.

“I’m Jasper.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun DUNNNN. Et voila: Jasper. Obviously they’re going to be mates but neither of them really know it yet, especially little Ms. Jasper-Hale-took-my-breath-away. We have a Jasper POV coming up soonish but honestly, I don’t know if I’m going to be doing any more of those. We shall see!   
> As per usual, thank you for reading! Stay safe out there and remember to wear a mask and check in on your loved ones. Mwah!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “almost immediately”? Girl you're down bad. And of course, let’s meet the rest of the siblings.

I took his hand almost immediately.

“Adaline,” I answered, trying my best not to sound breathy in front of this gorgeous man.

We held our hands together for a moment, just reveling in the feeling of touching each other. It felt nice, his cold hand in mine, and I wondered where else his cold fingers would feel nice.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you ma’am,” he spoke with a southern drawl that made him undeniably hotter. It would be a pleasure to have him in bed with me, that’s for sure.

“Alright, that’s enough hand-holding,” Edward said with a grimace. “Let’s go outside, shall we?”

I realized that Edward was most definitely right and that our moment had not gone unnoticed by the rest of the student body, who were now whispering. Again.

I also noticed the scars peeking out from under Jasper’s sleeves. I briefly wondered how he got them before getting distracted by the veins on his hands. I ran my eyes up his muscular arms until I got back to his chiseled face and, despite my feelings being everywhere and different parts of me telling me different things, winked at him. His eyes darkened further, if that was possible, and his grip on my hand tightened before Alice giggled again and he let go.

We followed Edward outside to where the two other siblings were standing. The girl’s name was Rosalie, I remembered, but I still didn’t know about her boyfriend. Alice hooked her arm through mine again and brought me up to them.

“Rose, Em, this is Adaline!” she turned to me. “Adaline, these are my siblings Rosalie and Emmett.”

I sized them both up and Emmett spoke first.

“Nice to meet you!” His voice was more energetic than I was expected and I couldn’t help but crack a smile. This dude was literally a golden retriever in human form. Well, vampire form.

Rosalie was a bit more reserved but shot me a (albeit slightly forced looking) smile. “Pleasure.”

I’m sure.

Alice was standing next to me with a large smile and Jasper stood to her left, still staring blankly at me. It was a bit unsettling, if I was being honest. His face showed no signs of whatever he was thinking or feeling and it made me feel vulnerable. I was taught how to read micro-expressions and body language during my time at HYDRA to better my spy skills and more accurately know when someone was about to attack. It was a skill that I leaned back on as it allowed me to know more about other people than they knew about me and I didn’t like being without it. I purposefully exuded what I wanted people to see about me, and seeing the carefully blank mask on Jasper reminded me of the blank stature of the Winter Soldiers. It made me feel a bit sick.

“Well, I should get home,” I told them, rearranging my features to show an apologetic smile. This air of mystery around Jasper was putting me on edge and I needed to punch it out. The Cullens gave me varying goodbyes, ranging from a hug from Alice to a brief glance from Rosalie.

“Text me!” Alice called as I got on my motorcycle. I gave her a thumbs up and put on my helmet, making my way out of the parking lot and speeding away.

* * *

As soon as I got home, I locked up my motorcycle out back and went inside to change into clothes I could train in. I was very much looking forward to trying out the new technology that had been installed in the house. Grabbing a water bottle, I stepped into the room and began my training session.

It was basic stuff, really. I didn’t have anyone to spar with so after my basic workout, I went for weapons training and did some boxing. After sweating it out, I felt much better and took my water with me to go sit outside on my small back porch.

As I let the breeze cool me down, I found my mind wandering to James and his friend Steve. I hoped he was doing okay. Cryofreeze hadn’t affected him as much as it had me and for that I had always envied him. I hoped that Steve had been there for him when he went under and that he would be there for him when he woke up to reassure him that everything was alright and he wasn’t back with HYDRA.

The wind started to pick up and I headed inside to make myself some food and do some homework. Isn’t that so funny? I, an almost century-old assassin, am reduced to doing high school homework.

I was halfway through Spanish (which I was flying through- thank you fluency in almost every language!) when I decided to text Alice.

_Hey it’s Adaline. We still up for shopping Friday?_

I was desperately in need of new clothes. Alice responded not even a minute later.

_Hi! Yes of course. I’ll pick you up so we can take my car and not try and both fit on your bike :)_

I smirked, the image of us clutching each other on my bike that I had chosen for its relatively small nature (it made it easier to make more dangerous maneuvers) causing me to chuckle.

_Ok sounds good. Invite Rosalie too?_

I wanted to get to know the beautiful blonde. Much like her siblings, she exuded danger and confidence and I admired her for it.

_Sure! I’ll let her know now._

After the short conversation, I finished my homework and found it was already 10 pm. I took a shower and slipped into bed, thinking about the next day. I was already enjoying Forks more than I thought I would and I was excited to possibly become a more permanent resident. Alright, maybe that was a lot to be considering on my first day. I would have to get to know the Cullens more first and decide if they were worth my secret and friendship.

With that, I pushed all thoughts of possible horrible outcomes out of my mind and forced my body to shut down and sleep. The last thing I remember before falling asleep were Jasper’s eyes, staring into my soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayyy progress in friendship with the Cullens! Jasper POV that I do not particularly like is coming up so get ready for that…. Until then, thank you for reading you bad bitches, you. Stay safe and sanitary out there! Mwah!


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tiny bit of a filler but we’re about to get more Jasper!

The rest of the week after that passed smoothly and without incident. Jasper and I continued to have little moments where it felt like we were the only ones in the room, but he hadn’t yet made an effort to really come and talk to me. Alice and I continued to get closer and I started letting her in to my real personality a bit more. It was scary, and I often wanted to shut her out after I told her even small things, for fear of rejection or her using the new information against me. The only person who really knew what I was like was James, and it had taken him 20 years to get there. Alice took everything in stride though, and made me feel welcomed in her friendship.

Rosalie had started giving me nods in the hallway instead of just glances, which I took as an improvement. Emmett gave me fist bumps or high fives, but both of them were a year ahead and so I didn’t see them often. So was Jasper, but he hung around Alice a lot so I saw him more than Rosalie and Emmett.

Edward and I were close too. I got the sense he had some sort of extra abilities that allowed him to read minds because of a couple incidents where he would glare around at other students in the hallway, even when I couldn’t hear them saying anything. When I asked him about it one time, he simply told me that he could read what they were thinking on their faces. I let it go, knowing he would tell me when he was ready.

I had started sitting with the Cullens at lunch, but Angela and I were still friends. I liked her quiet nature that put me at ease no matter what. She would tease me about having a crush on Jasper, which she had figured out one day when we were talking at my locker and I had stopped mid-sentence to stare at him. She had then informed me that in the entire time Jasper had been at this school, he had never acted this way towards anyone. If I were anyone other than a super soldier assassin, I would have blushed.

Friday came around quickly and I had to admit that I was excited about going shopping. I didn’t have many more clothes to wear and I needed both summer and winter outfits. Earlier that week, I had gotten an encrypted email from James’s Steve, saying that James had been receiving some sort of monthly income from being a veteran and giving his life for his country. He went on to explain that James had told him to funnel the money to me through different banks and accounts while he was under. It was a relief, since I hadn’t particularly wanted to get a job here or keep spending my savings, and I emailed Steve back telling him so. I thanked him and told him if he needed anything or wanted to talk about James sometime, I would be an email away.

And now, here I was, standing in my closet after school trying to figure out what to wear. It felt so mundane and I couldn’t help but feel happy about where I was in life right now. After all the horrors that I suffered through, here I was, about to go shopping with the first real friend I had in decades. Of course, I had James, but even we had hated each other at first because we were forced to compete against each other. We finally became friends after empathizing with each other’s struggles about two years in.

For my outfit, I decided on a long-sleeved black turtleneck that was pretty tight. Over it, I wore a black and white plaid dress that was also tight and showed off my curves. Looking at myself in the mirror, an idea came to me.

Alice was aware of my feelings for Jasper. Over the week she, like Angela, had teased me and told me how good we would be together. I in turn told her to either leave us in a sauna alone together or shut up. She promised me I would get my alone time with the gorgeous vampire and I couldn’t shake the feeling that kept popping up that she also had some sort of ability. She would always say things with such certainty and sometimes paused mid-sentence to have her eyes glaze over. She would brush it off as having brilliant schemes that she would tell me about later and I never pushed. My guess? Some sort of premonition gift.

_Can I come to your house and we leave from there? I want to show off my outfit ;)_

While waiting for her response, I put my usually braided hair up into a high ponytail, wrapping two sections of hair around my face to pin behind my head to create the illusion of bangs. It wasn’t that cold out but I didn’t want to leave my legs exposed. They had some nasty scars on them and I wasn’t really ready for everyone in Washington to see them. Instead, I pulled on some black sheer tights and some black boots over them. I didn’t have a purse or anything so I reached to ask Alice if I could borrow one and saw that she had texted me back.

_Of course! I’ll make sure Jaz comes to say hi ;))))))))))_

Did she need that much emphasis on the winky face?

I checked myself out in the mirror and felt satisfied. I had used my body for missions before and I was comfortable with myself in that area of expertise, but for some reason I had butterflies in my stomach. Would Jasper think I looked good?

Who was I kidding? I knew he would. I was killing shit.

With a final appreciative glance at myself, I grabbed a few knives to stick in my bra, boots, and inner thigh holster, as well as my motorcycle jacket and helmet. Time to blow this boy away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much for me to say here… We love wingman Alice!  
> Thank you for reading my loves; stay safe and wear a mask! Mwah!


	10. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEAHHHH JASPER. Sorry. Let’s get into it.

When I pulled up, the butterflies returned. I stepped off the motorcycle as elegantly as possible, shaking my hair out as I took off my helmet. Alice stepped out of the house, clapping her hands excitedly. I grinned back, her joyful mood contagious.

“My parents are here right now too, would you like to meet them?” She flitted down the stairs and took my arm in hers. I nodded and she dragged me into the house, neglecting to mention I had already met her ‘father’. As soon as we entered, I took off my big jacket to reveal my outfit.

“They’re just over here,” she told me, leading me into the kitchen that connected with a living room of sorts. I heard raised voices arguing over something and when I entered the room, I saw it was Jasper, Edward, and Emmett arguing over who had won the video game they had just finished playing. I couldn’t help but smile. This family seemed to really love each other and find joy in the small things, no matter how long they’d been alive. It gave me a hopeful feeling, like maybe I would be able to do the same.

Everyone’s heads turned to look our way when we entered and I took stock of everyone’s faces. Jasper, who I looked to first, had an indescribable look on his face as he looked me up and down. I could see the lust in his now-dark eyes when they met mine, and that ache in my heart started back up again. That and my stomach flipping back and forth. I told myself to reign it in because I was about 99% sure that they could probably smell my arousal and I didn’t want to make things awkward between my new friends and I. That being said, I kind of wanted Jasper to know his effect on me… I would have to get him alone sometime soon. I wanted those hands all over my body ASAP.

It was then I noticed Alice had started talking to the rest of her family to let Jasper and I have our moment and I smiled to myself. She was a great friend and an even better wingman. She turned to me once she realized Jasper and I’s moment was over and offered me a wicked smile. I didn’t have time to canvas everyone else’s reactions before I found myself being introduced to Dr. and Mrs. Cullen.

“Dr. Cullen,” I held my hand out, trying my very hardest not to check him out. Thinking back to our first meeting, I laughed to myself thinking about how he would think I was too young to hook up with. If I wasn’t so enraptured by Jasper and he wasn’t married, I would absolutely have gone for him. “It’s good to see you again!”

My enhanced hearing caught a low growl coming from behind me where I knew Jasper was sitting. I smirked to myself.

“You two have met?” Emmett asked with a smirk at his brother. I rolled my eyes at the insinuation.

“He and Chief Swan were the first people I met on my first day here.” The growling slowed to a stop. Carlisle – sorry, Dr. Cullen – offered me a smile, taking my hand in his and giving it a firm shake.

“Carlisle," he corrected. "I’m glad you’ve made friends,” he told me with a knowing look in his eye that made me wonder if he knew who I was. I shook it off. He was probably referring to my supposed dead parents and figured I would shut everyone out. I gave him a smile and turned to his wife.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Cullen.” She gave me a motherly smile that had my cold, hard, ice heart melting. This family had so much love to give and it made me sad that not everyone could experience it.

“Please, call me Esme.”

I smiled at her and nodded, letting go of her cold hand and turning to Alice and Rosalie, who had now appeared at her sister’s side.

“Ready?”

“Always!” Alice took Rosalie’s arm and skipped out towards the door. “We’ll meet you outside!”

Before I could register what was going on, Emmett gave me a grin and fist bump and pulled Edward (who was grinning stupidly) out of the room and outside. Esme and Carlisle looked at each other lovingly and made their way upstairs, offering me twin gorgeous smiles as they went. Soon, it was just me and pretty boy. He got off the couch and walked over to me. I held my breath, wondering where the hell this was going.

“You look very nice,” he told me in a stiff voice. I inwardly rolled my eyes. Of course I did, you dumb vampire. It was for you!

On the outside, I smiled and lowered my eyelashes only to peer through them a second later in a sultry way.

“You think so?” I knew I was probably over-flirting with this man, but I hadn’t flirted with someone I actually liked (and wasn’t going to kill later that night) in the entire time I had been with HYDRA. It felt nice, knowing what I was doing had the effect on him that I wanted.

Jasper cleared his throat. “Yes. But you knew that already.” He took my chin and moved my head up so that we were directly looking at each other. I would have to do more individual research on him tonight – there was something about him that screamed for me to drop to my knees and show submission right then and there. He exuded power and charm and I wanted more of it. I was never one to show submission; in fact as a Winter Soldier I was the most dominant one out of all of them but allowed James to take the lead as a front. Over the years, our relationship became more of a partnership (and eventual friendship) and less of a hierarchy. Yes, it was very clear that Jasper was used to being in charge.

But so was I. And there was no way he would just get my respect or submission without earning it. The Winter Soldier in me reared at the prospect of a challenge and I let the feeling swirl around in me for a bit before I pushed it down.

_Ya khochu yego,_ it whispered in the back of my mind. And I would have him as mine.

* * *

_Ya khochu yego **I want him**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes ma’am she is a bad ass bitch! They’re such a power couple; I love them. I really wanted to encapsulate Jasper’s kind of darker side and the side of his personality that is associated with the Major that is very much the kind of person who commands respect and attention. But so is our dear Winter Soldier!   
> I’m trying to post more chapters because I want to get you all into the plot faster but I also don’t want to just post all the chapters I have written right now and make you wait while I write a new one so…. Long story short, thank you for being patient with my non-existent uploading schedule. Thank you for reading my loves, stay safe out there. Mwah!


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go!

JASPER POV

This new girl was something else. For one, she didn’t smell as potent as other humans did. Her blood didn’t smell like anything in particular; not food or anything. It was simply blank, like she just didn’t have a scent. The Major told me that this was wrong and that we should kill her for it. She was an unknown variable and unknown variables were dangerous.

When I asked my siblings whether or not they could smell her, they told me they couldn’t either. It unnerved me and I told them of my plan to take her out. To my surprise, Edward spoke up against it, telling me that he had a new friend for the first time in a century that he didn’t want to murder and he didn’t want her to die. Alice agreed with him and I turned to Emmett and Rose.

“I don’t know the girl so I can’t really say, but I think it’ll be fine if we leave her be. Besides, she just got here,” was Emmett’s opinion.

“I say we wait it out for a bit. If she isn’t a temptation to us, let her be for now. If she gets too much into our business, we kill her,” was Rose’s.

The Major was angry that they didn’t agree with him, but I admitted that it didn’t make a whole lot of rational sense to kill this girl just because she was different. Who were we to judge? As he did every time when I got existential, The Major went silent.

I didn’t have any classes with the human (Alice said her name was Adaline) so I only saw her when she was with my siblings. She had been talking to Alice at the end of the first day and she smiled at something Alice said. It was so beautiful that I stopped in the middle of the hallway, causing a bit of a traffic jam. It was like there was no one else in the hallway and when she turned those adoring eyes to me, I knew she felt the same. I could feel her interest and lust and I had to stop myself from growling.

_Let me have her,_ The Major spoke up. I couldn’t even bring myself to respond because I found myself moving forward to officially meet her. I joined the small circle, fully ignoring my siblings’ knowing smiles. I would deal with that later. Instead, I stuck my hand out for her to shake, forgetting that I would be ice cold to her touch. My mind was solely focused on making this girl – Adaline – smile again.

_Make her ours._

I pushed the voice to the very back of my head. “I’m Jasper.”

She took my hand almost immediately, causing my dead heart to jump around in my chest.

“Adaline,” she told me with a voice that sounded like honey. I could tell she was trying to keep herself controlled and The Major whispered to me to make her lose that control.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you ma’am,” I let a little bit more of my southern accent slip into my words than was probably necessary. Edward had told me once that half the reason for the student body’s obsession with me was my accent and I planned to use it to its full potential.

The next thing I knew, she was winking at me, causing The Major to growl and lunge for control. I shoved him down and accidentally tightened my grip on her hand before letting it go quickly. Once we were outside, I continued to stare at her and try and get a read on her. Her emotions were so in control that I could barely tell how she was feeling. Every once in a while, I would get tendrils of how she was feeling but other than that, she kept everything locked down. I wondered if Edward was having this much trouble.

The rest of the week after that passed pretty quickly, with an exception for Alice’s vision that she wouldn’t tell me about. She simply said that it was nothing bad and that everything would work out the way it should. I rolled my eyes at that. Alice getting philosophical was worse than me getting existential.

Friday rolled around and Edward, Emmett and I found ourselves arguing about who had just won the video game we just played. Emmett swore he won and Edward argued the opposite. I was trying to be on both sides and no one’s at the same time. We were interrupted however, by Alice’s voice talking to someone. We all looked at each other and Emmett elbowed me in the side. I shoved him back, knowing he was teasing me about earlier. Edward chuckled and I threw a pillow at him, causing him to throw one back.

Our small fight was broken up by Alice: “They’re just over here.”

I couldn’t help but stare at her in awe, aware that my brothers would tease me about it later. She wore a tight dress that showed off her body in the best way. I could tell that she was muscular and wondered briefly exactly how strong she was. Her hair was up in a ponytail that flowed down her back and I couldn’t help but want to play with it. She knew she looked good and the confidence in her eyes as she gazed at me was intoxicating. Who was this woman who kept her emotions so much in check to the point where I could barely get a read on her? I made a mental reminder to ask Edward if he was having trouble with her.

That was when I felt it. The string that tied itself around my heart and began to pull. The Major was begging to be let out so he could have his way with her but I told him no. If my guess was correct, I had just found my mate. And in a human, no less. A confusing, mysterious, beautiful human, but still a human.

It was then that I realized she was introducing herself to Carlisle.

“It’s good to see you again!”

The Major and I couldn’t help but let the growl escape our lips. How did she know Carlisle? I was too preoccupied with trying to keep myself in check to notice the slight feeling of amusement coming from Carlisle. I looked up at Adaline and saw she was smirking very subtly and Carlisle had amusement hidden in his eyes. At first, I thought maybe she and him shared some sort of inside joke and that made The Major angrier. It wasn’t until after she clarified to Emmett (who I guess had asked her while I was still in my head) that Carlisle and the Chief had been the first to welcome her to Forks, did my growling stop and the realization dawned on me.

Carlisle was amused at my reaction. My reaction that she elicited. I looked at her smirk again in a different light and drew my eyebrows together in confusion and a little bit of suspicion. She said that on purpose. But how did she know how I reacted? My growling was too quiet for her to hear…

Right?

Unless my mate had a secret…

I couldn’t help the small feeling of pride that filled my chest at her subtle manipulation. She knew what she did would get a response out of me and chose her words carefully to get it.

I needed to talk to her alone. Luckily, Alice knew me well enough to know this and cleared the family out, telling Adaline that she and Rose would meet her outside.

I walked up to her, not sure where this was going to go. “You look very nice,” I told her, trying to keep my own emotions in check. I really didn’t want to project anything.

She looked down and then looked back up at me through her lashes. Oh, she was good. She knew exactly what she was doing. The Major roared.

_Show her who we are._

I cleared my throat. “Yes. But you knew that already.” I took her chin and lifted her face back up so that we were looking each other in the eyes. She didn’t react to my temperature and I was inwardly pleased to find not one ounce of fear in her eyes. Instead, I found a challenge. A small smirk at her perfect lips. A slight raise of her left eyebrow.

There was something about her that was different. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. Her challenging nature incited something in The Major and I worried that this whole thing would end badly. But at the same time, I wanted her. Not for her blood, but because she was my mate. Behind those beautiful, steely gray eyes, I could see sadness and anger and danger. And I would be damned if I didn’t want more of it. I wanted to know her stories. I wanted to stand by her side as we took down enemies and anyone who stood against us. I saw all of that in her eyes and more.

_I want her,_ The Major whispered to me. So did I. And we would get what we wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey squad. How are we feeling about this one? I apologize for the insertion of eye color– I try not to put too much description into my OC’s appearances so that you guys can fill in the blanks the way you want to but the eye color comes in a bit later again.   
> Anywho, I hope you all like Jasper’s POV! As of right now, I’m writing another one but if y’all don’t like it then I might scrap it and do either Ada’s POV or maybe like a 3rd person situation… we shall see! It’s very much later on so you’ll have to wait for it though ;)   
> Thank you very much for reading! Please feel free to leave a review or comment; I love to hear from you guys and hear your ideas on where the story should go! Remember to stay safe out there and wear a mask! Mwah!


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay girl bonding time! This is one of my favorite chapters.   
> TW: mentions of attempted suicide and some kind of dark shit about our girl’s past.

ADALINE POV

After Jasper and I’s staring contest, he guided me to the door, his cold hand resting on my back. He helped me put on my jacket and promised to watch over my bike for me while I was gone.

“Don’t let Emmett ride it!” I told him with a grin. To my surprise, he smiled back. It was gorgeous and I wanted to see more of it.

“I won’t darlin’.”

Well, if he pulled out the darlin’.

I nodded and got in Rosalie’s red convertible and we drove off.

We spent the entire rest of the day shopping. I was glad that Steve was transferring me funds from James because boy had I spent a shit ton on clothes. Alice flitted around, telling me to try different things on and giving Rosalie the same treatment. I enjoyed it though. It felt normal. It felt like I was in high school. It made me happy.

Rosalie and I got to know each other a little bit more. I got the sense that she was not someone to trust easily, and the fact that she thought I was human probably didn’t help. I started off with the easy stuff, putting a little bit more of my spy tactics into my words than probably necessary. I wanted to be friends with her and if using a tiny bit of manipulation got me my way, then that’s that.

We talked about my motorcycle for a bit and I saw a gleam come into her eyes.

“What made you get interested in cars and shit like that?” I asked, looking appreciatively at a beautifully silky red dress.

“To break the stereotype of women not knowing a lot about cars.”

I chuckled and she looked over at me with what I hoped was a look of blossoming friendship. Yes, we would be good friends.

She seemed to debate her next words and I hoped that she wouldn’t ask them.

“What about you?”

I sighed. I wasn’t sure what to say here. I couldn’t exactly tell her that it was something that I needed to know in case I was ever stranded on a mission to kill someone or extract information, but I didn’t want to lie to my tentative new friend.

I took the dress off the rack and we headed towards the dressing rooms, Rosalie holding several dresses of her own.

“My… caretaker,” I decided on hesitantly, “thought it would be best for me to know everything about how to take apart an engine or machine and put it back together in case I ever got stranded anywhere.”

Rosalie seemed to notice that this made me uncomfortable, god bless her, and entered her dressing room without another word. Alice, who had been trailing behind thoughtfully, giving me and her sister time to bond, threw a couple more dresses over the door.

“Try those too Ada!”

I blinked at the nickname, but discovered I rather liked it. Soon enough, I hoped I could tell them my real name and who I really was. The more I got to know this family, the more I wanted to be like them. Not necessarily a vampire, but I wanted to have the sense of security in each other that they seemed to have. They loved each other dearly and they all seemed to lack that air of sadness and tiredness that I could feel in my soul from being used as a weapon for all of my life. I just assumed that the heavy feeling in my soul was the obligational contract that came with immortality. Although, I pondered as I slipped on the blue dress Alice had given me, when I was with the Cullens that heavy feeling seemed to lessen considerably. They were a reminder that even if you’ve killed people or made mistakes, you still deserve to be happy. To have a family who loves you and wants to see you succeed in life.

I stepped out of my little room to show off the dress. It was floor-length and velvety and I had no idea where I would wear it now that I wasn’t running missions anymore. So naturally, I had to buy it.

“Oh, it’s perfect Alice,” I told her, spinning around in the mirror. It showed off and accentuated my collarbones and the simplicity of it drew the attention to my face. The blue brought out the gray in my eyes that, before now, I had always hated. I thought they added to the depressing nature of my personality and made me look unfeeling and calculating. Once upon a time, that was one of the reasons that I loved them. But recently, now that I was on my own, I was working towards becoming a nicer person, both to others and myself. The void color of my eyes served as a reminder that I should never let myself forget who I once was.

I stopped spinning when I realized Alice and Rosalie were staring at me. I frowned and looked at them in the mirror.

Oh shit.

My scars.

They were both staring at my back where I knew they were looking at the long scar that traveled down the length of my spine. It was where Shmidt had cut me open, performing some sort of procedure that took cells from my spine or something so he could examine the effects of his experiments on me. Even I didn’t know the full extent of what he had done to me, but he never collected cells from the same spot twice. I looked down to my now bare arms, looking at my wrists. Two twin vertical scars. I laughed humorlessly to myself at the memory. The wound kept closing up when I had done it and it was like a big joke; someone up in the sky mocking me. I knew my arms and back were littered with small marks from training with the Winter Soldiers over the years and being under HYDRA’s control. More reminders of my past.

I forced my eyes away from myself to meet the girls’ eyes in the mirror. I would not show weakness over my past. I would never go back to that point in my life.

Alice and Rosalie looked at each other and then back to me, meeting my unblinking eyes. Then they stepped up next to me together, Alice on my left and Rosalie on my right. Alice wrapped her arms around me, still looking at me in the mirror. Rosalie linked her arm with mine and laced our fingers together.

“You look beautiful,” she told me and Alice gave me a beautiful smile and nodded along.

I felt my eyes water. I hadn’t cried in decades, but the kindness that they showed me got to me. I wasn’t ashamed of my scars, not by a long shot; they defined who I was and what I survived, no matter how bad the connotation I had with them. Alice and Rosalie did not show me the pity I had expected and dreaded, but rather empathy. It made me wonder what they had experienced in their own long lives and I realized that my tears were for them as well.

After that moment, I decided to buy the dress (as well as the pretty red one I had picked up earlier, even though I didn’t try it on) in hopes that I would find somewhere to wear it someday.

There was a new bond between me and Alice and Rosalie and something inside me had changed. I knew that I was going to do everything in my power to be friends with and get to know this family as much as I could. I also decided that I would tell them who I was before school started again next week. Was this a rash decision that was based purely off emotion? Yes. But I knew that it was also the right one. Alice and Rosalie already understood me more than anyone ever had. Carlisle and Esme had so much love in their hearts to give (even though it had unnerved me at first, I also found it endearing). Emmett was a big bundle of joy that rivaled Alice at times and not once had he harbored any negative feelings against me, even when he didn’t know me. Edward, my first friend at Forks, and I got along almost uncannily and I enjoyed his dry humor. And Jasper, pretty Jasper. We had a connection, that much I knew. I didn’t know exactly what it was, but I knew I wanted more of it.

Yes, I would be staying for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed writing this chapter because I really do believe that Rosalie would be empathetic and her and Alice would give our girl some extra loving. I’m really excited for these next few chapters because the ball really gets rolling! I might just publish them tonight so y’all don’t have to wait too long in between… we shall see!  
> Thank you for reading! I appreciate y’alls comments so much; they give me the warm and fuzzies. Stay safe out there folks and remember to love yourselves. Mwah!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayyy plot advancement! Now we’re getting somewhere…

The ride home was filled with talk of Alice planning her Halloween party that we all knew wasn’t going to happen. It was nice to pretend though, and we took turns describing our costumes, designing the decorations, and laughing about what the boys would be.

We arrived back at the Cullen house and it was then that I noticed it was practically dark out already.

Alice hopped out of the car and picked up her many, many bags.

“You should totally stay the night!” she told me with a brilliant gleam in her eyes.

I raised an eyebrow, looking to Rosalie to see how she was feeling about it. I knew we had a different relationship now, but I wasn’t sure if she actually liked me.

Although she didn’t agree or disagree, her face was positively open and her head cocked to one side.

Well.

“I would like that, yeah,” I answered with a growing smile. Is this what it was like to have friends? To have a normal life? It was nice.

“I just need to drop all my stuff off at my house and grab some clothes.” I carefully strapped my bags to my motorcycle, making sure that my clothes weren’t too smushed. Alice clapped her hands (which was harder than it sounds considering she had like ten bags in her hands) and Rosalie offered a nod. I got on the bike and was about to speed off when I head the beautiful voice of the southern vampire I had taken an interest in.

“I can give you a ride.”

I turned my head to meet Jasper’s eyes and blinked. His golden eyes glowed slightly in the fading light and the sunset rays hit his face in such a way that made him seem somehow that much more desirable. I looked at the bags on the back of my bike and saw that they were already a bit more smushed than I would prefer. I turned back to the handsome man.

“Yeah, that would be great, thanks.”

He gave me a small smile and came down the stairs to help me put my bags in the back of a very nice Audi.

“Is this your car?” I asked in an attempt to get the conversation rolling. Just because he was gorgeous did not mean he was very good at socializing, apparently.

In response to my question, I received a sly smile that worked its way across his face. “Nah I don’t have a car. This is Carlisle’s.”

I raised an eyebrow, finding it hard to believe that he didn’t own a car with all his family’s money. “Really? You don’t own a car at all?”

We got into said car and I watched Alice and Rosalie whisper to each other as they went up the stairs. Even my hearing wasn’t good enough to make out exactly what they were saying.

“I have a bike.”

My head swiveled around to look at him. And to think, I had previously thought this man couldn’t get any hotter.

He backed out of the driveway and we talked about motorcycles for the duration of the ride. Seeing this different side to Jasper than what he presented himself as was nice and it gave me the confidence to admit to myself that I might even tell the girls that I knew they were vampires tonight. After all, what could come of it? As Jasper put the car in park and helped me bring my clothes inside, I thought about my options.

I had already decided that I was going to tell the Cullens about me and my secret soon, so what was to stop me from telling them I knew about them? If it went well, I would tell them who I was and I would gain new friends – maybe even a new family – from it. If it went badly, I hadn’t been here long enough to make too much of a splash by leaving anyway.

I left Jasper in the kitchen to hang up my dresses and other clothes. I had only known them for a week but something deep inside me told me that I could trust this family and I was never one to not trust my instincts.

And of course, there was the matter of my Winter Soldier forming some sort of attachment to the southern vampire. At first I had been alarmed because that side of me usually only came out with either those cursed words or when I was in danger. But, then again, I had never felt like this before.

_Ya khochu, chtoby on uvidel nas takimi, kakiye my yest’._

So did I. I saw his scars peeking out from under his shirt sleeves that always seemed to be unrolled so they covered his entire arm and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about how he got them.

I had just finished packing a bag with stuff I would need to stay over when I heard rustling from the kitchen. I froze, hoping that what was probably happening out there was not actually happening. Slowly, keeping my face as blank as possible, I made my way out of the room with my bag over my shoulder. I entered the kitchen to see Jasper standing there, holding one of my many guns I had hidden all over the house.

For a moment, we just stared at each other. Then he spoke.

“Care to explain why you have an unregistered gun filed away in your cereal box?”

I couldn’t help but let a sigh escape from my lips. Those golden eyes that I so adored were now dark with suspicion and anger and were fixed solely on me. This was not how this was supposed to go.

Unhelpfully, my Winter Soldier was silent for once. Nice.

“Care to explain why you were rooting around in my cereal options?”

He blinked, as if not expecting the rebuttal and I realized that I was possibly the first “human” to not immediately bend to his wishes. At that, the Winter Soldier gave a low chuckle.

“I was going to make you a snack before we headed over,” he told me, crossing his muscular arms across his chest. I couldn’t help but let my eyes waver over them before snapping back up to his face, not once letting my stance relax.

“That was very kind of you,” I told him, ignoring the fact that it actually was very kind of him and letting a little bit of ice slip into my tone. I liked Jasper, I did, but I did not appreciate being a) talked down to, b) threatened, or c) accused of something I did not do and I could feel my brain rewiring itself to survival mode. I needed to diffuse the situation quickly before it went downhill for both of us.

“Who are you?” the pretty vampire asked, a similar hardness seeping into his voice. I searched his face in hopes of finding any semblance of hope that he wanted a nice solution to this conversation. When I found nothing, I realized that he was keeping his cards close to his chest. I sighed.

“It would be better to explain it all once to everybody. Let me get changed out of this dress and then we’ll go back to your house and I’ll tell you all everything.” I looked him in the eyes, waiting for confirmation that he was okay with that. The Winter Soldier reared up at having to ask for permission, but I tampered it down. I respected Jasper and his family and if I wanted to have a future with them, I would need to show them who I was so that they could trust me. When I received a nod, I took a deep breath and turned my back on the vampire who could easily kill me in a manner of seconds. Every survivor bone in my body told me this was a horrible idea, but I needed Jasper to think he was in complete control of the situation.

I changed quickly into some joggers and a maroon hoodie, slipping on some sneakers before going back to the kitchen where I immediately laughed out loud at what I found. Jasper had gone through every possible hiding spot in my kitchen and found about 25 or 30 weapons and had them laid out on the table.

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, but I could tell that he was trying to stop a smirk from making its way onto his face.

“You just had to take out every single one, huh?” I shook my head, trying to appear as relaxed as possible around him in hopes that he would reflect that and chill out a bit. “That’s gonna be a bitch to put back away!”

At that he did smirk, but it dropped as quickly as it had come. “Shall we?”

I let him lead the way to a very silent, very awkward car ride. When we got back to the Cullen’s house, we got out and he took my upper arm. I rolled my eyes and shrugged his grip off. Yes he was hot but I could walk on my own and I was nobody’s prisoner.

We entered the house and I was shocked to find the vampire family all sitting down in the family room, talking amongst each other. I looked to Jasper, only to find his impassive face staring back at me.

“Hello everyone,” I said, throwing Alice a smile. She gave me a small smile back, but I could tell she was tense. The whole family was.

“Well I’m not sure how you all knew about me coming here with some fun news –“ I stopped myself as my brain put the pieces together. Alice’s gift. If I had guessed correctly, she could see the future and had seen this coming a mile away. It made me wonder why she hadn’t told any of her siblings.

“Please, Adaline, take a seat.” Carlisle motioned to a plush red chair that was across from everyone else. I couldn’t help but feel like it was an execution chair and I felt annoyance from both me and my Winter Soldier at the implication. Yes I was dangerous and yes I was a killer, but so were they! They had no room to be making judgments.

But as I looked into the guarded eyes of Rosalie, who had been so kind to me earlier, I realized that I would have to put aside my feelings about being unfairly accused of something and work with this family that I so dearly wanted to get along with.

Speaking of, the Cullens were all sitting and staring at me, waiting for my explanation. I swallowed lightly and got comfortable. I would be here a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry sorry sorry I just HAD to leave it at this point otherwise the chapter would be incredibly long. But do not fret my lovelies, for in the next chapter, all is explained.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, good ol’ explanations. Quite helpful, those.

“Well,” I crossed my fingers together and looked down at my hands, “I suppose that I should start off by saying that I know you guys are vampires.” I couldn’t make myself look up; afraid to see their hateful gazes staring back at me. Those fears were swept aside when I heard the sound of boisterous laughter. I looked up to see Emmett laughing and I couldn’t help but crack a smile. It disappeared quickly however, when I saw Edward nudge Emmett and give him a dirty look. Edward, my first friend in Forks, was feeling negatively about me. It made me feel… hurt.

“My story is not a particularly pleasant one, but I suppose that you all deserve to hear it.” I looked to Jasper then and found his eyes had gone a shade lighter. That small fact made my heart feel a little lighter and gave me the strength to carry on.

“I’ll give you guys the short version. If you have questions after then you can ask, but I don’t really want to go in-depth if I don’t need to.” I cleared my throat and fixed my gaze on a spot on the rug in front of me.

“My real name is Astrid Lokken. I was born in Norway in 1921,” I heard an intake of breath around the room and couldn’t help but grimace, “and I have been on the run for the past two or so years.”

“If you’ve been on the run for the past two years, where have you been for the other 90?” Rosalie asked warily. I sighed heavily.

“That’s the not pretty part. At the age of 17, I was kidnapped by a man who’s name I still don’t know to this day. He kept me for two years, torturing me every single day. I was a toy to him. I fought back every day and never gave up trying to escape.” Subconsciously, my right hand reached across my rib cage to the long scar that I knew was on the left side of my stomach. I kept my gaze firmly on the spot on the carpet, not wanting to see the pity being cast at me.

“Eventually a different man took me away from my captor, only to use me, torture me, and experiment on me for what seemed like an eternity. I later found out that his name was Johann Shmidt.” At this, Carlisle, Esme, and Edward looked at each other. I figured that they must have at least heard about the horrible HYDRA experiments during the second world war and I purposefully did not look away from my carpet spot.

“I felt that my life was now indebted to the man who ‘rescued’ me from the person who had psychologically, emotionally, and physically tortured me for years and for a while, I was so emotionally manipulated that I would do anything for him. In the 1940s, shit really went downhill. I found out that Shmidt had stolen something called the Tesseract from the old man who lived with my captor and had been using its powers to experiment on me and himself. It turned him into a monster but for some reason, I survived. I gave him my service until 1943, when I met a man named James Barnes and Shmidt was killed.” I felt myself smiling slightly at the thought of my friend.

“Together, we became _the_ Winter Soldiers.” More intakes of breath and sighs from Carlisle. “We were the best assassins you could ever imagine. At the top of my game, I could speak thirty languages fluently and we could take down anyone and everyone we were required to. It was a couple years later, when I realized how much pain my – James was in and I decided that I no longer wanted to be a part of an organization that caused such misery. I began to see through the lies that I had been told and question those who claimed to control me. I tested myself and made note of how powerful I really was and deep down, I knew that I could take down everyone in that base if I wanted to.”

I knew I was lost in my head, but I kept going. “I can’t put a number on how many people we killed for HYDRA. On how many people _I_ killed. I do know that once I started to fight back, the brainwashing, wiping of my memory, and cryofreezing began.” I took a shaky breath, shoving down the emotion that was threatening to close up my throat.

“About seven or so years ago, I started planning my escape. I built shelters in my mind so that every time I woke up from being the Winter Soldier, I would remember who I really was. I tried to teach James to do the same, but his brain was much more scattered than mine was. In any case, I fully escaped about two years ago when the organization that I’m sure you’ve all heard of, SHIELD, collapsed, taking HYDRA with it. James got away too and we’ve been separate and running ever since.”

There was a long moment of silence while everyone digested my depressing story. I only raised my eyes when I heard a bunch of questions all at once.

“Carlisle, would you care to start us off?” I proposed, trying to keep the mood light.

He looked at me with such sadness in his eyes that I could feel my own eyes threatening to water. I blinked and he was right in front of me. I stood up, alarmed at just how fast he could move. What I did not expect, however, was when he pulled me into a tight hug.

I had to admit, I needed a good hug. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face into his dress shirt that I knew I would probably ruin with my tears. I felt something at my back and forced myself to relax when I realized it was Esme, coming to sandwich me in.

One by one, the Cullen family joined the hug, making one big ball of sadness and empathy and love. I could feel Carlisle’s shirt dampening beneath my face and I couldn’t help but let my shoulders sag.

It seemed I had made the right choice in telling the Cullens about myself.

The Winter Soldier hummed in agreement and I couldn’t stop the smile from making its way onto my face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awwww poor Astrid needed some love. And who wouldn’t want a hug from Carlisle? I hope you all liked this chapter and are now more filled in about Astrid’s past and how she came to be who she is. Thank you all for reading! Your comments and kind words make my heart feel happy. Stay safe out there! Mwah!


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions are answered!

After the big group hug that had tears streaming down my cheeks and every vampire’s eyes watering, we all sat back down in our respective chairs. I looked to Carlisle for direction in how to start the questions that I was sure would be popping into the family’s minds. He took Esme’s hand and looked into my eyes.

“Firstly, I want to say that I’m sorry that this happened to you. It’s a horrific thing that you endured and you are incredibly strong for surviving it at all, let alone being as functional as you are now.” His words brought more tears to my eyes and I could feel myself relaxing. It was nice to hear the praise from someone else that wasn’t myself talking to my reflection in the mirror.

“I’ve… heard about you. The Winter Soldiers I mean. Weren’t there more of you?”

I blinked. “Yeah, there were five of us. James and I were the leaders.” I lifted my chin slightly. “Well, I was the main leader. James was there to keep the order, but I was the brains behind it all. I had been there the longest and was considered the most dangerous out of all of them. Ergo, my leadership position.” I laughed scornfully. “None of that mattered in comparison to my handlers though. They were cruel and enjoyed inflicting pain and taking away basic necessities like sleep, water, or food.”

Carlisle nodded in response and I couldn’t help but let my eyes flick to Jasper. His arms were still crossed, but he had a mixture of sympathy and an almost impressed look on his face. I wondered what that was about.

“What did you mean by ‘waking up from being the Winter Soldier’?” Alice piped up. She and Rosalie had moved to sit next to where I had planted myself on the floor. Alice held my hand tightly in her own and Rosalie sat next to me, offering her silent support and strength.

“I…” I couldn’t help but falter in my response. Everything in me told me not to tell anyone about the one thing that could turn me into the most dangerous killing machine since, well, the vampires I happened to be sitting with. But, of course, my eyes found Jasper and he gave me a reassuring look. He didn’t smile, which led me to believe that he was still upset about being lied to, but the look in his eyes told me that he was on the way to forgiving me.

“There are a series of words that, if said in the correct order and spoken in Russian correctly, will bring out the Winter Soldier side of me. I won’t be able to control my actions in the way that I can control them now. I’ve made a lot of progress in making peace with the Winter Soldier inside me, but saying those words will most likely trigger the darkest side of it. I wouldn’t be able to stop whatever I was instructed to do. I’ve completed hundreds of missions in that mentality but between the wipes and freezings, I would regain pieces of myself. Hence the shelters that I spoke about earlier. What you see of me today has been seven years of hard work, coming to a point within myself where I am comfortable with the Winter Soldier side of me and more mentally stable than I’ve been in almost 80 years.”

There was a beat of silence where everyone let that sink it, before Emmett spoke up.

“Can we see it?”

Edward smacked his brother on the arm, but I saw the interest in the Cullens’ eyes. They were used to being the most dangerous thing and I couldn’t blame them for being curious about someone who was potentially up there with them in that regard. I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped me.

“If you looked hard enough, you could probably find footage of me somewhere. You’d need to be like an actual hacker though. Most files about me, although they were released when HYDRA and SHIELD fell, are hidden deep underground and heavily encrypted. Perhaps someday, by some unfortunate happenstance, you will see my Winter Soldier completely resurface.” I looked at Alice and I’s intertwined hands. “I do not doubt that I will run into trouble again.”

“So why did you come here?” Jasper asked, his southern accent bringing me unexpected solace.

“I was on the run. I got word from James that the other Winter Soldiers were being woken up and I knew that they would come after me if they were. I snuck my way out of Bulgaria and into America, where I figured they wouldn’t check first. Once I got here, I received word from James that the Winter Soldiers were dead but he wanted me to stay wherever I was because he could tell trouble was brewing. James decided to go back under cryofreeze so that he didn’t hurt anybody else.”

More silence.

“Can I ask you guys a question?” I looked to Edward. “Do you guys all have… gifts?”

The vampires looked surprised at that and Edward let out a chuckle.

“I can read minds, Alice can see the future, and Jasper can feel and manipulate emotions.”

“Well I’ll be damned,” I looked at Jasper with a smirk, “I didn’t catch Jasper’s.”

Emmett laughed and Jasper even let a small smile grace his beautiful face. “How did you know?”

“The stuff you say. Alice, you always say things with such certainty and you sometimes glaze over a bit. Edward was easy; he would say things that he shouldn’t know or glare at people walking in the hallway.”

They all chuckled and Edward rolled his eyes in what I hoped was a fond manner.

“Might I ask how you all didn’t immediately know I was different? With your gifts, I should’ve been outed as soon as I walked in the door!”

“About that… I can’t really hear your thoughts.” Edward scratched the back of his head, looking uncomfortable about his lack of abilities concerning me. “I mean, I _can_ hear them, they’re just really jumbled and all over the place. Everything overlaps each other and half of it is in different languages.”

That made me laugh.

_Predstay’te kak on pytayetsya zaglyanut’ v nash mozg… on soydet s uma._

I silently agreed.

“Jasper? Alice?”

Jasper shifted so that he was now sitting closer to me and I felt my heart rate quicken. I knew the vampires could hear it but at this point, I didn’t particularly care.

“I can’t get a solid read on your emotions. I could probably still control them if I tried, but I only do that if I really need to. Other than that, you keep everything really controlled and close to your chest. Every once in a while I get a faint sense of what you’re feeling but other than that… radio silence.” He looked at me with an undiscernible emotion on his face. “It’s very frustrating.”

“You try reading her thoughts,” Edward piped in with a teasing tone, “Russian is absolutely terrifying to hear right off the bat.”

_Chert voz’mi._

“I can see your future. But that’s not really how my gift works. I see someone’s future based on the choices they make.”

“So for example, today…”

Alice nodded along with me, smiling. “Today I saw Jasper’s decision to make you cereal and the outcome of it. If he hadn’t made the decision to make you cereal, we would’ve heard about you later on this weekend, like you had previously decided.”

I nodded, understanding.

“So, why haven’t you aged?” Rosalie asked from next to me.

Ah. This part.

“Well, part of Shmidt’s experiments included injecting me with the super soldier serum similar to the one that was given to Captain America, combined with whatever else he felt like trying. Essentially, my strength, speed, hearing, and eyesight is improved. Not as much as you all, I’m sure, but definitely as strong as Captain America or more. Even I don’t know the extent of what he did to me, so I don’t know exactly what I can do.”

“I think you’re right,” Edward piped up, looking to Jasper with a thoughtful expression. “Jasper thinks that’s why we can’t really smell you. Because of what’s been done to your body and blood.”

“Is that… good?” I asked, looking to the girls on either side of me.

“It makes it much easier to be around you, for starters,” Rosalie told me. “Jasper feels all of our bloodlust on top of his own, so he has to be completely in control at all times. It’s a burden that I’m thankful I do not have to carry,” the Cullens nodded, giving Jasper respectful nods, “and your lack of scent with your blood carries a sort of calming effect on all of us.”

I nodded and the room went silent for a bit as we all thought about the long conversation that was just had. I was confident that I had made the right decision in becoming friends with this family and I found myself looking forward to the future for once.

It was Esme who broke the silence.

“Would you like some dinner dear? You must be hungry.”

I smiled up at her gratefully. “That would be amazing, if it’s not too much trouble for you.”

“Not at all. You’ve now given us an excuse to use the kitchen!” she disappeared down the hall into the artfully modern kitchen and I looked at Carlisle.

“You guys can’t eat human food?”

He shook his head. “It tastes like mud. The only thing our bodies can digest is blood. But don’t worry, we’re all vegetarians here. We only feed on the blood of animals.” He sent me a relaxing smile, as if I had been concerned about that.

“Oh, I hadn’t even considered that.” I blinked, taking Rosalie’s hand in my free one. “I hope you all know that, while I respect your individual reasons for choosing to drink animal blood, I wouldn’t care or judge you if you drank from humans. Considering my own past, I am not one to judge. And I am not a fan of romanticizing the harsher aspects of life. You are vampires and I would never shame you for doing what you must to survive, especially if you were feeding from bad people.”

Silence.

“Thank you for saying that,” Edward told me with a smile. “We all have our own reasons for going vegetarian.”

I nodded. “Like I said, I respect those. But I would never shame you for a human blood diet, unless you were killing children or innocent people.”

The Cullens sent me warm smiles and I could feel the feeling of love and appreciation surrounding the room. I figured it was Jasper projecting his emotions, intentionally or otherwise.

“Food is ready!” Esme called. I smiled at the people around me and Alice led me into the kitchen where I had the absolute best chicken alfredo pasta that I’d had since I was hiding out in Italy.

* * *

_Predstay’te kak on pytayetsya zaglyanut’ v nash mozg… on soydet s uma._

**_Imagine him trying to look around in our brain… he would go crazy._ **

_Chert voz’mi. **Damn right.**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course she said yes to Esme’s food because who in their right mind would say no? Yeah, first-movie Edward, I’m talking to you. You had NO right to deny Bella that delicacy! Even if she had eaten before she came.  
> Thank you for reading! I love you all. Mwah!


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of relationship advancements in this one!  
> TW: mention of rape and of attempted suicide

After dinner, Alice, Rosalie and I made our way upstairs for the sleepover that we had intended to have at the beginning of the night. Rosalie told me rather shyly that I could call her Rose and so I did.

We painted our nails (something I faintly remembered doing in my teen years but hadn’t done since then), watched scary movies, braided each other’s hair, and talked about ourselves.

Alice told me how she had been turned, which was in a mental institution in 1920.

“I don’t know exactly who the vampire was, but I was put in the institution because of my abilities. Even as a human, they showed themselves in different ways and my family put me away because of it. In a way, I am thankful to the vampire who chose to turn me. If he had not, I would’ve died in that horrible place.”

Little Alice, who I had always seen as cheery and full of joy, was crumpled in on herself and her elfin face was covered in sadness.

“I’m glad you’re here with us,” I told her, wrapping an arm around my new friend. Rose smiled at us, finishing the braid in my hair and coming to sit next to us instead of behind me.

“My story is equally sad,” she began hesitantly.

“You don’t need to tell me if you’re not comfortable with it. You don’t owe me anything,” I told her reassuringly.

She nodded. “I appreciate that. But I think I would feel better if I talked about it more with other women. Em knows of course, as does the rest of the coven, but I try not to talk about it a lot in an effort to forget about it. I don’t want the memory to control me anymore.” The beautiful girl took a deep breath.

Her story was indeed a sad one, and Alice and I laid our heads on her shoulders. She was engaged to one of Rochester’s number one bachelors and he and his friends had been out drinking one night and raped her. They assaulted her and left her to die, where Carlisle found her and turned her.

“Sometimes I wish I wasn’t turned. Sometimes I wish I had just died in that ally. I wrestle with that every day.”

I nodded, understanding the feeling. While I was glad that I had survived the horrible atrocities that I was forced to go through, I often found myself wishing that I could just end the pain and suffering. The scars on my inner forearms were a testament to how I had proven that I was stronger than my captors and the war in my mind.

“I’m glad you’re here too, Rose,” I whispered, tightening my hold on her arm. I felt her head lightly lean on mine and in that moment, I felt like I had a home. I had only known this family for a week, but they had already understood me more than anyone ever had.

We moved on to the slightly lighter subject of Rose’s revenge on the men who had assaulted her. I appreciated that she got her vengeance and the men got what they deserved and I laughed at her dramatics with the wedding dress. They told me funny stories about the other Cullens, like Emmett’s love-hate relationship with bears because of how he died, Jasper’s ability to go toe-to-toe with Edward in chess even with Edward’s gifts, Esme’s many, many knitting projects over the years that coincided with Carlisle’s obsession with scarves, how Edward would get hilariously uncomfortable reading Rose and Emmett’s thoughts when they were together, Alice’s need for fashionable clothes in every decade, and Rose’s love for tinkering with objects around the house.

After that night, the Cullen coven and I were much closer. I hung out with them at school and sat with them at lunch, although I still made sure to talk to Angela when I could. I got to know each vampire better and formed my own bond with each of them. My friendship with the family did not go unnoticed by the rest of the student body, but I paid no attention to the rumors that spread around.

Jasper and I continued to explore the bond between us, becoming closer and closer as friends. It was different from Edward and I, who I had started teaching basics of different languages in an effort to ease his headache that he got from accidentally hearing my thoughts. I asked him not to read my mind if he could help it and he complied, but sometimes I projected my thoughts in another language so loudly that it pained him.

Jasper and I had something special. He told me about his background with the Confederate army and how ashamed he was of fighting on the side of the south. While he himself had never believed in the enslaving of other human beings, he had still fought for the side that did and would hold that with him forever. He explained his journey of education when he left the vampire army and before he found Alice. I personally was glad he had taken it upon himself to educate himself instead of forcing others to do so for him and told him that as long as he wasn’t a racist bigot, we would be good to go. He also told me about Maria and all of his scars and in return, I showed him some of my own. It was a vulnerable moment between us and it made me value our friendship even more. I could still feel that pull between us and although we hadn’t crossed the lines of friendship, I definitely wanted to. I hoped that in time, he would learn to trust himself around me and realize that I wasn’t as breakable as he thought I was.

That summer was peaceful and I spent half of it moving into the Cullen household. Of course, moving all my weapons and technology into the house was the hardest part, but Alice insisted we go shopping. Rose tagged along and we bought me some killer new heels.

I took the empty bedroom next door to Jasper’s and we often stayed up talking until the late hours of the night, when I would end up falling asleep wherever we were. He may not need to sleep but I sure as hell did. I would always wake up in my own bed though, and even though Jasper never mentioned it, I knew he was the one making sure I got back to my room safely.

The other half of the summer was spent playing around with my new family, testing my strength, speed, and hearing against theirs. Emmett found his main entertainment in trying to beat me (which he did almost every time because he’s a VAMPIRE and I am not.) and Edward joined us too. The Cullens decided not to travel that summer because I didn’t want to leave my safe haven yet and they didn’t want to leave me behind. It was extraordinarily kind of them and it made me love them even more.

Eventually, junior year rolled around. I was laying in Jasper’s bed, staring at the ceiling.

“What do you think this year is gonna be like?”

He made his way from his desk where he had been writing in his journal to lay down next to me.

“I don’t know. But I know that as long as you and I are together, we can get through it.”

I smiled at the beautiful vampire next to me and I realized how close our faces were. I took the time to study him and I reached out to play with a curl of his honey-blonde hair. His eyes closed and he leaned into my hand, sending my heartrate into a frenzy. By the smirk that was playing at his lips, he could hear it and I gently flicked him on the head. The smirk turned to a smile and I was struck by how stunning he was. His carefully sculpted-from-stone face was pale and there were no dark circles under his eyes due to his recent hunting trip this morning. His lips, ever so perfectly shaped and seemingly perpetually etched into an I-know-more-than-you smirk, were somehow still pink even with the lack of blood circulation. His eyes opened and I noticed they were dark with an emotion that made me want to scoot closer. We had been dancing around each other for the entire summer and I so badly wanted something more to happen between us. I still felt that tug on my heart that was lessened when I was with him and all the Cullens had commented on how different Jasper had been acting recently.

Should I just go for it? But what if it ruined our friendship? Or my relationship with the rest of the Cullens?

It seemed that I didn’t have to make the decision however, because before I knew it, Jasper’s lips were on mine. It was a soft kiss and I could tell that even after all this time, he was still nervous about hurting me. There were no fireworks or big flaming sparks, but the kiss felt loving and safe and my heart did somersaults in my chest.

When he pulled back, we locked eyes.

“Forgive me for my abruptness ma’am,” he said, face innocent but eyes mischievous. I grinned back at him, tugging on a curl.

“Abruptness? Why, Mr. Whitlock, I’ve been waiting for that all summer.”

He leaned in to kiss me again and this time, I deepened it a bit more. I knew his family was still downstairs but I just wanted _more –_

“Vampires are still in the house!” We heard Edward call from downstairs and we both started laughing. He was so dazzling when he laughed.

We talked for a while longer about this coming year and about life in general before I kissed him goodnight and made my way back to my own room. As I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling, I couldn’t help but feel happy. There was something coming, my intuition was telling me that much, but I knew that I could get through it with the Cullens by my side.

With Jasper Whitlock by my side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so lots of time passed in this chapter! I do want to say that I did not write what happened to Rosalie in detail because I feel like it’s not my place to do so. Other people have told me (and I agree) that SM used women’s suffering as a means to move the plot along (Bella being cornered and almost attacked by a group of men before being rescued by Edward, Rosalie being raped and brutally assaulted as a way to write off her ‘bitchy’ attitude towards Bella, even Rosalie’s written personality in general I feel is a bit too derogatory for the way that she was always treated and shut down by her family) and I don’t want that to be the case here. Women’s suffering is a part of them and not just something to throw in a story lightly.   
> Also, fuck the fact that Jasper was a Confederate dawg. SM had NO reason to do that and in my story, Jasper is a respectful vampire who realizes his mistakes and grows from them, educating himself in his free time because fuck racists. I didn’t want to just ignore it and pretend like it didn’t happen because that doesn’t solve anything, but I refuse to have a racist in my story! 
> 
> All that aside, yeah I made a big time jump. I wanted you all to get to know Astrid before we jumped into the Twilight storyline. I hope you all don’t hate me for not going in detail with the summer and the rest of the school year! If so, please forgive me! 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading! I appreciate every single one of you and your reviews make me smile and help me want to continue writing. Stay safe, wash your hands, wear a mask. Mwah!


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know in the movies/book Bella comes to Forks in the middle of the year BUT I wanted her to be in the story sooner so here we are!

I woke up excited. It was the first day of my junior year of high school and I couldn’t wait to try and learn more this year. Sure, being a super assassin required a lot of strategic and background knowledge, but I was looking forward to learning about biology and taking some harder math classes.

I swung my legs out of bed and pulled on some tights, a plaid pleated skirt, a turtleneck because it had gotten chilly again in Forks, and one of Jasper’s sweaters over that. I finished the look with some boots and pulled my now-pretty-long hair into a braid.

I grabbed my coat and pulled that over me because, again, pretty fuckin chilly in Forks these days, and skipped downstairs to do my morning ritual.

Esme had packed small lunches for everyone and had certain elements of each laid out on the table. My job was to take bites out of everything so that it looked like they were being eaten. Because of my fast metabolism from the serum, I needed a lot more food than a normal human. I would graze from their lunches throughout the day so that no food went to waste.

The vampires filed down, grabbing their lunches and saying their good mornings before making their way outside to the cars. I gave Esme a hug (Carlisle had gone early for work) and followed my new family outside and into Rosalie’s outrageous red convertible with Alice and Rose herself. The boys piled into Emmett’s jeep and we all peeled out of the driveway, looking forward to yet another day of high school.

Naturally, it all went to shit.

In my Spanish class, I had a new girl. No one seemed to want to sit next to me, which I had found was a common side-effect of hanging with the Cullens, and so Sra. Trujillo placed her in the empty seat next to me.

I smiled at her as kindly as I could. She seemed really anxious and a little clumsy and I couldn’t help but take pity on her.

“Hi, my name’s Adaline,” I told her with what I hoped was a calming smile. Truth be told, I was just glad I had remembered to introduce myself as Adaline and not my real name.

_My nikogda ne byli by takimi glupymi._

Well, you would think.

The girl smiled back and almost knocked her pencil bag off the desk trying to find the page in the textbook.

“I’m Bella.”

We didn’t talk a whole lot after that but I tried my best to help her with her Spanish. She was quiet and I got the feeling that she was probably too nervous to attempt to make conversation.

After class was over, I showed her where her next class was and continued on with my day. Before lunch, the Cullens and I all met up outside the cafeteria so we could all go in together.

“How was everyone’s day?” Alice asked brightly, linking arms with Edward who looked exasperated.

“Just like any other day in high school,” Rose responded with an eyeroll. She motioned to the cafeteria door. “Shall we? We won’t get any less whispers if we wait longer.”

I laced my fingers with Jasper’s, knowing that he would need the extra support when having to deal with the onslaught of emotions that would breach his senses when we entered that door. He kissed me on my forehead and I smiled up at him. For a moment, we were lost in our own world and I swore I could’ve drowned in those golden eyes.

Then Rose opened the cafeteria door and the moment was broken. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and a supportive smile and then followed Rose and Em. Alice took my other arm and we smiled at each other.

As we walked to our table, I heard Jessica explaining to who could only have been the new girl, Bella, who we were.

“Yeah, but they _live_ together! It’s weird. And, okay, the little dark-haired girl is Alice. She’s next to the taller dark-haired girl, Adaline, who’s with Jasper, the blonde one who looks like he’s in pain.”

I squeezed Jasper’s hand tighter and tried not to let my annoyance show on my face.

“I met Adaline in my Spanish class earlier,” I heard Bella say. “She’s nice.”

I couldn’t help but smile to myself as we walked farther away.

“She wasn’t always friends with the Cullens,” Jessica prattled on. “She appeared last year in the middle of the school year and seemed like, normal. I heard she lives by herself because her parents are out of the picture for whatever reason.”

“ _I_ heard that she’s living with the Cullens now,” another girl who’s name I didn’t know interrupted.

“Guys don’t be mean. Adaline is my friend and a really nice person if you get to know her.” I smiled brighter when Angela spoke up for me.

“Whatever,” unknown name girl said with crossed arms and a haughty expression on her face, “she’s weird. She and Jasper just look a little… dangerous. They’re all weird.”

I couldn’t help but let the small smile turn into a full-blown grin. If only that bitch knew.

“Who’s that?” Bella’s timid voice rang out.

At that point I tuned out, not wanting to hear all about how amazing Edward was. Honestly, his ego couldn’t take any more enlarging. Instead, I turned to Jasper and made sure he was doing alright. He nodded, lacing and unlacing our fingers.

“Your lack of scent helps. It’s kind of like a blanket that helps smooth out the ragged edges of my siblings’ bloodlust and my own.” He gave me a gorgeous smile and I could feel me and my Winter Soldier melt into a puddle of goo.

“..hear her.” Edward was saying. My head swiveled around to pay attention to what Eddy boy was saying.

“Like at all? Or like it is with Ada where you just can’t understand it?” Em was asking.

“I can’t hear anything. It’s like a blank slate.”

I turned my head to the only person he could possibly be talking about: the new girl, Bella. It was fascinating that Edward’s gift didn’t work on this girl and I could feel in my gut that this very small fact would lead to some interesting problems down the road.

If only I knew.

* * *

_My nikogda ne byli by takimi glupymi. **We would never be so stupid.**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Astrid and her Winter Soldier have a sort of Vemon-Eddy relationship and I am here for it! We have now met Bella and the storyline of Twilight with some tweaks shall now commence.   
> Thank you for reading! Mwah.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jasper and Astrid have the “what are we?” talk. Kind of. A little.

The rest of the day passed quickly. Rosalie, Jasper and I had the same advanced Literature class that I had tested into over the summer in an effort to get some classes with Jasper. Afterwards, I had gym with Bella and I couldn’t help but watch her from afar as she smacked some kid in the back of the head with the volleyball. What was so special about this human girl? Why couldn’t Edward read her mind at all?

She was incredibly shy and awkward and I found myself wanting to be friends with her. She just seemed so nervous all the time and I wanted to comfort her, like Alice and Rosalie had done for me.

The rest of the class was entertaining. I watched Jessica try to be friends with Bella and get Mike’s attention at the same time and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the utter silliness of normal human lives. I encountered Bella again in the locker room when I was putting my gym clothes back into my locker. I had changed in the bathroom stall to avoid people seeing my scars and it seemed that Bella had done the same (though most probably because she was just shy).

“Bella, right?” I asked as a conversation starter.

The girl nodded in response. “Yeah. It’s Adaline right? From Spanish?”

“Yeah! I just wanted to check in on you and ask how your first day is going so far. Wanna walk to our lockers together?”

Bella nodded again and we made our way into the main hallway as the loud ringing of the bell filled our ears.

“I remember my first day here. It was entirely overwhelming and there were so many rumors spreading around about me, especially since I hung out with the Cullens.” I stopped at my locker and took my heavier jacket and slipped it on. As I packed up my backpack, Bella said something that had me chuckling to myself.

“Yeah, Jessica mentioned that at lunch. But they seem so…” she seemed to struggle for the right word before settling on “untouchable.”

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and motioned that she should lead the way to her locker. “Well, they’re the only people at this school that really treated me normally and not like I was a piece of meat. Them and Angela. Plus, Jasper is totally hot and there’s no way that I could’ve stayed away from him!” I said this knowing Jasper, who was at the other end of the hallway, could hear me.

Bella laughed and slung her now-packed backpack over her shoulders.

“Speaking of,” I said, waving at the vampires who were waiting for me by the doors, “I should probably get going. It was really nice to meet you Bella! I’ll catch you tomorrow in Spanish!” I threw her one last smile over my shoulder and then hurried along to the group of gorgeous vampires who were probably growing more impatient.

“Took you long enough,” Rose said with her nose in the air. “I can’t believe you made us wait for some human.”

I couldn’t help but laugh and then melt in happiness as Jasper put his arm around me.

“Speaking of the human,” Edward interjected, taking my arm and dragging me (and therefore Jasper) outside, “We have a serious problem.” I had never seen him this worked up and I could feel his tight grip bruising my arm.

Jasper growled lowly at his brother, probably from feeling my outburst of pain from the hold on my arm.

“Chill out Eddy boy,” I said, gently trying to pull my arm away. He seemed to notice what he was doing and he snatched his arm away quickly, as if he had burned himself on my skin. He looked horrified and I placed a placating hand on his upper arm.

“I’m sorry Astrid,” he said, using my real name that we had specifically agreed not to use on school grounds. I would let it slide this time.

“It’s alright. Let’s get home, ‘kay? We can talk about whatever is bothering you so much and try and find a solution.”

He nodded and walked ahead to go sit in the car. Emmett turned to me with raised eyebrows and crossed arms.

“You handled his mood well. You’ll do great staying with us long-term!” He ruffled my hair (which only messed up my braid) and I smiled at the prospect of the vampire coven letting/wanting me to stay with them long-term. I was pretty sure Jasper felt my happiness because he kissed me on the forehead before pushing me off towards Alice and Rose.

“He’s right you know,” Alice told me once we were on the way home. I turned away from the window to look at the beautiful pixie.

“You did handle it well. And it _will_ do you well in the future.”

She said it with a secretive smile that made me wonder if she had had a vision about me.

“Alice, do you know something?”

She just giggled.

* * *

When we got home, I found myself gravitating back towards Jasper. We hadn’t had the ‘what are we?’ talk, but I was pretty sure that we both wanted the same thing. He made me incredibly happy and he was incredibly hot and he continued to want the best for me. He knew about my unpleasant past and I his, and he hadn’t turned his back on me.

_S nim na nashey storone my mogli by unichtozhit’ mir._

Yes, yes we could. And a part of me would never stop wanting that.

We had all sat down in the living room, ready to hear and attempt to solve whatever Edward’s problem could possibly be, when the man of the hour came strutting in. Yes, strutting. I looked to Jaz, who I was curled up into on the red loveseat with, and rolled my eyes fondly. He chuckled lightly but I could tell that Edward’s heavy emotions were weighing on him.

“Care to explain?” I asked, getting tired of the tense atmosphere.

“I believe that the new human girl is my singer, as well as my mate.”

A short, disbelieving laugh came from Rosalie and I heard Esme’s unnecessary intake of breath.

“What’s a singer?” I asked Jasper quietly as the rest of the vampire family began to talk over each other.

His eyebrows furrowed and in that moment I found that I so desperately wanted to kiss him.

“A singer is someone who’s blood calls out to a vampire more so than any other human. It’s extremely dangerous for vampires to be around their singer because if there’s even the tiniest slip, they could kill them.” He paused and laced our fingers together. The simple action made my heart race.

“Emmett met two of his singers and drained them completely. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve never met mine. Perhaps that’s just because I haven’t been around a lot of humans.”

I nodded and looked over at my very first vampire friend. Why would he do this to himself?

“He said they were mates too. What does that mean? Why can’t he just find someone else?”

At this, Jasper shifted slightly and looked away from me.

“Every vampire has a mate. Their mate is their other half and only the luckiest of us ever get to meet them. They could be human or,” he paused and his golden eyes flicked to me, “otherwise, but as a vampire, the mating pull will be more intense. It feels…” he trailed off and I thought back to the pull in my chest when I first saw him.

“It feels like there’s a string wrapped around your heart and it’s pulling you to them,” I finished, staring up at the beautiful man next to me. He looked down and I could see the nervousness in his eyes.

I couldn’t help but smile. “You’re my mate.”

At the sight of my smile he let loose one of his own and tipped my chin up to kiss me gently. “Yes ma’am. You are mine for eternity.”

“ _I ty moy,”_ I whispered.

“You’re gonna have to teach me some Russian darlin’ because I have no clue what you just said.”

I laughed lightly. “ _Ya budu.”_

Jasper just shook his head and whispered in my ear, causing goosebumps to appear all over my body. “Let’s pay Eddy some attention so he doesn’t throw a tantrum.” We both tuned back into the conversation in time to hear Rosalie suggesting we just kill her.

“Rose, you know that’s not possible. Depriving a vampire of their mate is truly cruel.” Esme admonished, looking at Carlisle with such love and adoration that I couldn’t stop my eyes watering a little.

“It’s dangerous to have Edward’s singer running around, yes, but he won’t hurt her. I’ve seen it,” Alice said, eyes bright and wide.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. “Your visions are subjective Alice. What if she gets a paper cut at school or something? Who knows what would happen.”

At that, the coven went quiet. I dropped my eyes to Jasper and I’s hands, thinking. Rose was right; keeping Bella alive was a liability and neither I nor my Winter Soldier like keeping liabilities alive. But I also would never want to take away someone’s mate from them. I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to not have Jasper in my life.

The thought scared me. When had I become so dependent on this man? For almost 90 years I had counted on myself to get me through life and now…

Now I had Jasper. I had a partner. Not a partner like James, where there would always be something separating us, but a partner in life. Someone who would love me for me and who I could love like that in return.

“I don’t think we should kill her.” I spoke up quietly, aware that my opinion might not be wanted. Edward looked at me, relieved. “I know you may not consider my opinion worth listening to because I’m not a vampire and this doesn’t technically affect me, but what if you had decided to kill me?”

Rose looked down and Emmett placed a hand on her shoulder. In fact, the rest of the vampires looked thoughtful.

“I personally am very glad that I’m alive. Although I would’ve put up a good fight if you had tried and then you would’ve ultimately found out I wasn’t human and would have no reason to kill me…”

“Getting off topic dear,” Carlisle said with a small smile.

“Right! I don’t think we should kill her. BUT,” I turned my gaze to Edward, “I think you should consider turning her. As long as she is human, her blood will run through her veins and be a temptation to you. Plus, if she’s a vampire, you’ll get to live with her forever.”

More silence. Everyone stared at the vampire in question to see how he would react.

He turned and stormed up the stairs.

I blinked and turned to Jasper, who was laughing quietly. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Not at all, darlin’. Not at all.”

* * *

_S nim na nashey storone my mogli by unichtozhit’ mir._

**_With him by our side, we could take down the world._ **

_I ty moy **And you are mine**_

_Ya budu **I will**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Astrid and Jasper are just so cute! And of course she’s the voice of reason in the family.   
> Thank you for reading my darlings! Mwah!


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eddy looks at things a different way, Astrid is a serial teaser, and we hop on the Marvel train for a bit! Oh my!

I got up from my seat abruptly.

“I’m going to go talk to him. I don’t want him to take what I said the wrong way.”

I received varying degrees of acknowledgment but Jasper took my hand.

“Please just… be careful. A moody Edward can be dangerous.”

I rolled my eyes but smiled fondly. “I can take care of myself, Jas.”

He looked worried but let go of my hand. I made my way up the stairs, thinking about what I would say. I knocked on Edward’s door, hoping he was still actually in the house and not out running or hunting.

“Come in,” he said quietly. I stepped in and closed the door behind me, aware that the vampires below could hear every word.

“I wanted to come talk to my best friend and make sure he didn’t take what I said in a bad way.” I took a seat next to him on his weird couch thing that I didn’t understand the reason behind. Why not just have a bed? It’s way more comfortable, even if he wasn’t sleeping in it.

“I know you didn’t mean it in a bad way. I just…” he sighed and turned his head away from me to look out of his large windows. “I don’t want her to be like this. Like _me._ She doesn’t deserve something like this.”

I sighed inwardly. “Okay, you’re not going to like what I have to say because you’re a little control freak hellbent on making yourself pay for being a so-called ‘monster’ but, why don’t we let Bella decide?”

Edward chuckled and turned to look at me. “What makes you think she would even find out about me?”

“She seems like a smart girl. Clumsy and horrible at any sport, but smart. Plus, there’s no way to get close to her like I know that you want to without revealing yourself to her. _And,”_ I was on a roll now, “if she really is your mate, you know that she will love you for who you are. And without her by your side, you would live a painfully lonely life, cursed to see the people around you be happy with their own soulmates.”

It was harsh, but he needed to hear it. “Bringing a human into this world is dangerous, Eddy. If I were anything other than a super assassin, I’m sure that Carlisle and Esme would not have allowed such happenings to take place the way they have, even if Jasper and I –“ I stopped mid-sentence. Did other people know about Jasper and I being mates? Was it a vampire rule to keep it to myself?

“You and Jasper are mates,” Edward answered my internal question. I looked at my friend, eyes wide.

“You know?”

The handsome vampire laughed out loud, his smile causing the lines around his eyes to crinkle into formation. When he was happy, he really was beautiful.

“Of course I know. Everyone in the house knows. We had a running bet on how long it would take you to realize you two were actually mates. Emmett won.”

I couldn’t help but also laugh and in that moment, everything felt perfect. I let myself flop back onto his weird couch thing and turned my head to look at where he had remained sitting.

“Do you promise not to make any rash decisions regarding Bella? Don’t decided whether or not to cut her out of your life just yet. Maybe you could get to know her and get used to her scent.”

His face lost some happiness and was replaced by seriousness. “I’m going to go up to the Denali coven in Alaska who are close friends of ours. Hopefully they can offer some insight into the situation that I am facing.”

I nodded, standing up. I moved so that I was standing in front of him and I took his hand. “Do you promise not to make any harsh decisions about Bella? At least promise to keep an open mind.”

After a small staring contest that I obviously lost because Edward doesn’t ever actually need to blink and I do, he nodded and looked down. “I promise.”

I wasn’t sure how well he would stick to that promise, but I knew that I would hold him to it if it seemed like he was going to go against it. I withdrew my hands to lay a hand on his shoulder, before exiting the room and going back to the vampire that I was very quickly falling in love with.

* * *

Edward told us that he wasn’t sure how long he would be staying with the Denali’s and not to worry about him. So naturally, we all did. Even poor Bella, who didn’t know why Edward was gone, was looking around for him at school.

It was about mid-week when I got an email from Steve, asking for a favor. I sat curled up in my bed, wearing the comfiest set of matching tie-dye sweatpants and sweatshirt that I had ever had the luxury of wearing. I read through the email, sipping my coffee as I considered it.

_Dear Nadya,_

I appreciated that he used the alias we had agreed upon. For that, I would hear him out.

_I regret having to message you at all when I know the danger it may put you under, but I do have a favor to ask of you. There is a HYDRA operative in Washington who we have made contact with under the guise of a buyer of weapons. We believe that he is making weapons using some sort of unauthorized tesseract energy source and selling them on the black market._

_Most of us are out on missions right now and it would be a stretch to go out to Washington to meet him. Plus, I figured you might enjoy the chance to take out a member of HYDRA. I went ahead and included what you’ll need to know for the mission if you accept, but please let me know if you can ASAP._

_Thank you very much,_

_S_

_P.S. I apologize for running a trace on where you live, but know that I ran the trace on this particular, very secure, line that we are using right now. No one else but me knows where you are or even who you are. Your identity will remain a secret no matter what you decide._

I could feel my heart rate quicken and I emailed him back that I would love to take the job. It had been a while since I had done undercover work and part of me was itching to get back into it. I scrolled down to the attachment and opened it to find the profile of a man staring up at me. Time to get to work.

I poured over the information Steve gave me for hours, committing every little fact to memory. It only occurred to me when I was getting ready for bed that night that I should probably tell someone my plan. I had a family now and I owed them an explanation for where I would be sneaking off to tomorrow night.

“Jas?” I called out, knowing that he would be able to hear me from anywhere in the house.

I heard a knock on my door and I invited the handsome vampire in. He sped over to my bed, jumping into it and putting his hands behind his head. He looked so good that I couldn’t help but look up from the bathroom mirror where I had been brushing my teeth and admire him. His shirt rode up a little so that I could see his abs that led down the v that disappeared into his dark grey sweats. My eyes traveled up his body to land on his face and I couldn’t stop the blush that rose to my cheeks when I found him grinning at me. In an effort to get myself together, I rolled my eyes and finished brushing my teeth. When I was done, I gave myself a once-over in the mirror. Lookin’ good.

I walked out and slid on my own grin. My tablet lay on the pillow right next to his head.

_Dvoye mogut igrat’v etu igru._

I walked up to him slowly and once I reached the bed, I started to crawl my way up his body. My legs straddled his waist and I could see his eyes darken. His hands that traced my legs had tightened around my waist now that I was on top of him. I could tell I had his complete attention and my Winter Soldier purred at being the one in control. I leaned down so that our noses were almost touching and let my eyes glance down to his lips. He let out a low growl that had my stomach flipping over and over, wondering exactly what he wanted to do to me.

Now, to finish it off…

I kissed him on the cheek and slowly kissed my way across his jaw, moving down to his earlobe and giving it a light bite, all the while reaching my right hand up by his head to grab my tablet. Once I had it, I grabbed it and sat right up.

“Oh, I found it! Sorry, it seems like you were pretty much laying on my tablet that I was looking for.”

Jasper’s eyes, which had fluttered closed during my kisses, snapped open and his mouth fell open to match.

“What-“

I couldn’t help but let out a giggle. His hands that had drifted down to my legs again, returned to my waist in a tight grip. The look on his beautiful face was enough to send me into full on-laughter.

“Now, if your mind is done being in the gutter, I have something to tell you.”

Jasper’s eyes were dark but his mouth was curved into a sly smile. “Go ahead darlin’. But I’m gonna get you back for that, mark my words.”

My breath hitched and I rolled my hips slightly. “Oh? I look forward to it.” My voice went down to a whisper at the end with the thought that vampires were in the house in the back of my mind. With a noise that sounded like a mix of frustration and enjoyment, Jasper lifted me up off his lap and tossed me lightly on the bed next to him, turning his body to face me and hide the very obvious bulge in his sweatpants.

“Excited to hear what I have to say?” I teased, as if I hadn’t just made it happen.

He rolled his eyes. “Get on with it Astrid.”

With a smile, I shared my plan with my mate.

* * *

_Dvoye mogut igrat’v etu igru. **Two can play this game.**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all liked this chapter! Thank you to my queens who continuously leave reviews and comments that make me smile and want to continue writing, you know who you are! :)  
> Thank you guys for reading! Stay safe! Mwah!


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more cute Jasper and Astrid-ness. Jastrid? Asper? Both are not great. Enjoy!

Jasper’s face during my explanation was contemplative, but I could see him holding back his real emotions about it.

“So let me get this straight,” he began, sitting up so that his back was against the headboard of my bed, “you’re going to dinner with this man who is selling illegal weapons using some sort of alien technology and you’re going to try to get information out of him.”

“Yes.”

“But he worked or works for HYDRA, the organization that tortured you and are on the run from.”

“Also yes.”

“And you’re doing this for… the Avengers?”

“Correctomundo.”

He took my hand in his and didn’t look me in the eye.

“Care to comment?” I asked in a gentle voice, interested to know what was bothering him about this.

“I don’t want to be controlling or tell you what to do with yourself because you’re a strong woman who functioned very well on her own for 80 years, but what if he recognizes you? This could all go downhill very quickly darlin’, and I don’t want to see you hurt or have to go on the run again.”

My heart swelled at the thought of Jasper being worried about me. I appreciated that he was voicing his concerns while still being well aware of who I was and that I could take care of myself.

_Khorosho osvedomlen o syoyem meste._

I told the voice in my mind to chill out. He cared about me. I couldn’t stop the slightly evil grin that popped up though, not even if I tried.

“Don’t worry. He won’t be leaving the restaurant alive to tell anyone anything.”

After a moment of silence, Jasper nodded, a sort of proud look in his eyes that made my heart flutter even more.

“When are you going?”

“Tomorrow night. You’re welcome to come as my chauffer if you would like,” I told him seriously. It might make him feel better if he could sense my emotions during the interaction. “You would have to sit far away though. He thinks I’m coming alone.”

Jasper nodded and I decided to drop the conversation in favor of, well, really anything else. We talked about Edward and his singer for a bit and placed bets on how long it would take for him to crack and talk to her. Jasper said two weeks. I said about a week, hoping our little talk had gotten through to him somehow. I fell asleep on Jasper’s shoulder and as I drifted away, I could feel a light kiss on my forehead that gave me such a safe feeling that I involuntarily shivered. I really was falling for this man, hook, line and sinker.

* * *

The next day passed quickly and I found myself unable to concentrate on any schoolwork. Jasper had kindly filled in the rest of the Cullens on my adventure tonight while I had been sleeping and Emmett asked me questions about it all day.

“Are you nervous?”

“Are you going to kill him?”

“Do you think he’ll recognize you? Do you recognize him?”

“How do you make sure he doesn’t find out you’re undercover?”

“Are you suuuuure I can’t come?”

I entertained his boisterous questions and answered them as best as I could. Soon enough, I was back in my room with Alice, Rose and Esme, putting on the pretty red dress that I had bought on my very first shopping trip with Alice and Rose. It really was beautiful, with long red sleeves that covered my scars and were loose up to the cuff at the wrists. It was knee length in the back but got gradually shorter as it came around front, giving it a more flowy appearance. The bodice was tight and ribbed and made me look more hourglass than muscular. Stupid men didn’t like women who were stronger than them and tonight, I would be dealing with a stupid man. In an effort to hide the scars on my legs, I slipped on nude tights under my strappy gold heels that I matched with simple gold jewelry (after seeing how elegant it looked on Esme, I was trying to get into jewelry more). I sat down at my vanity to do my makeup and Rose came up behind me to do my hair.

“Are you nervous?” Esme asked, unknowingly repeating Emmett’s question. I wanted to see Esme as more of a friend than a mother, and inviting her to a getting-ready session with the other girls seemed like a good idea. I smiled at her in the mirror.

“A little. It’s been so long since I’ve gone undercover, but I’m also excited.” Rose smiled at me in the mirror, understanding what I was getting at. “I’m excited for the chance to take out a HYDRA operative.”

Esme nodded and came up to stand behind me next to Rose and began to carefully brush out the big curls that Rose had given me. When my look was all done, I added some red lipstick that matched the shade of my dress. I stood up and walked over to the mirror where I admired myself.

Perfect.

“Now, let’s go see Jas!” Alice squeaked, clapping her hands together. I grinned down at her.

“I’ll meet you guys down there. I’ve gotta strap up.” The three women nodded and went downstairs to where I was sure the rest of the family (sans Edward) was. I went through my wall of weapons in my closet and picked up a small knife, a bigger knife, a small gun, and some brass knuckles that I disguised as a set of rings. Sweet.

I came down the stairs to see Jasper waiting for me, looking fine as hell in his navy pants and blazer. The darkish sky-blueish color of his shirt matched and made it seem like he had more color in his face than he really did. He looked so good and I knew he could feel my emotions going crazy.

I felt a wave of desire crash over me and it took me a second to recognize that these emotions were not my own, but rather Jasper showing me how he felt about me in that moment. It made me smile, really smile, and I walked towards him to take a hold of his arm.

“You look great sis!” Emmett said, nudging Rose with his elbow, “great job on the hair babe, it looks so professional!” Rose couldn’t help the small smile that popped up at the praise and I smiled too, both at the sincere moment between the two and that Emmett had referred to me as his sister. It gave me a warm feeling inside.

“Shall we ma’am?” Jasper asked, his southern lilt jerking me out of my reverie. I turned to my handsome mate and nodded.

“We shall.”

The drive was filled with background conversation about the places I had been in my years on the run and the underlying tone of wanting to jump each other’s bones. We lapsed into a comfortable silence and I turned to look out the window at Seattle’s city lights that were coming into view. Deciding that I had faith in my ability to keep my emotions from projecting themselves, I let my horny thoughts take over.

Would he take his values of not wanting to hurt me so far to the point where he wouldn’t want to have sex at all? It sounded like something Edward would do and I desperately hoped that that wouldn’t be the case with Jasper. I knew he was strong, stronger than me if it came down to it (although I liked to think that we were pretty evenly matched in fighting and I would at least be able to hold my own against him in a sparring match), and I knew that he didn’t want to hurt me at all.

_However._

I was willing to get a little bruised for that dick. Especially because I could just tell he would be good. I accidentally got in my own head too much and I must have projected a little because I felt my mate’s head turn abruptly towards me.

“Darlin’ if you keep feelin’ like that, we’re not going to make it to the restaurant.”

God I was so in love with him.

_Vlyublena?_

Yeah, I decided. In love. I turned to watch him as he drove and I decided to project how I was feeling. I put the feeling of happiness, brightness, weightlessness, into the front of my mind and allowed myself to feel deeply. I closed my eyes and leaned back. Yes, I loved him.

A cold hand entwined itself with mine and I opened my eyes to find him looking at me with shining golden eyes. Neither one of us said the words, but I knew we were both feeling it.

All too soon, we arrived at the restaurant. I leaned over and gave him a deep kiss that had my whole body tingling, before he got out with a grin to open my door for me. He adjusted his suit and I couldn’t help thinking about how badly I wanted this man to fuck me. He opened my door and I stepped out elegantly, aware of the humans around me staring. The vainer side of me preened at the attention and I flicked my hair behind my shoulder. I knew what they would see: a beautiful woman who was confident in herself and had a dramatically hot man on her arm.

I gathered up that intoxicating feeling and allowed myself to get into the headspace of the arms buyer that I was playing. After helping me up the stairs, Jasper turned around to go park the car, telling me under his breath that he would be in the restaurant somewhere if I needed him. I made no move to acknowledge him, aware that the HYDRA agent was probably watching me right now. Instead, I opened the door and walked in, ready to kill this son-of-a-bitch.

* * *

_Khorosho osvedomlen o syoyem meste. **Well aware of his place.**_

_Vlyublena? **In love?**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all know that little suit adjustment thing. If you’ve watched TVD, it’s that lil move that Stefan does when he gets out of the carriage in the ‘20s after like eating someone or that Klaus probably does at some point. Whew! Hot as hell. In any case, look at our bad bitch go! Again, I literally do not know how to write the steamier shit so please let me know if you think I’m doing well to give me a much needed boost of confidence!

**Author's Note:**

> All of my translations into Russian and any other language is through Google Translate so I apologize in advance if you speak any of these languages and the grammar is a bit off. I include the translations of what I want it to say at the end but, again, Google Translate is only so reliable. Thank you for reading! Stay safe out there kings and queens. Mwah!


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